Civic participation takes many forms, from casting a ballot to helping a neighbor or attending a school-board meeting. North Carolina’s 2024 presidential-election turnout was 73.73%, while national estimates for September 2022 through September 2023 counted 75.7 million formal volunteers and 137.5 million people who helped neighbors informally.
Contents
- North Carolina presidential-election participation
- Non-presidential general-election turnout
- Participation by age, race, and ethnicity
- How North Carolinians cast ballots
- Formal and informal volunteering
- Local elections and political engagement
North Carolina presidential-election participation
North Carolina’s presidential-election turnout has varied substantially across the available general-election years. The North Carolina State Board of Elections reports both ballots cast and eligible voters in its Voter Turnout records.
| Presidential general election | Ballots cast | Eligible voters | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 5,723,987 | 7,763,502 | 73.73% |
| 2020 | 5,545,848 | 7,359,798 | 75.35% |
| 2016 | 4,769,640 | 6,914,248 | 68.98% |
| 2012 | 4,540,488 | 6,639,131 | 68.40% |
| 2008 | 4,354,052 | 6,262,566 | 69.53% |
| 2004 | 3,551,675 | 5,526,981 | 64.26% |
The 2024 rate was 73.73%, compared with 75.35% in 2020. Earlier rates were 68.98% in 2016, 68.40% in 2012, 69.53% in 2008, and 64.26% in 2004. The corresponding ballot totals ranged from 3,551,675 in 2004 to 5,723,987 in 2024, and the eligible-voter counts ranged from 5,526,981 to 7,763,502.
These figures describe North Carolina presidential general elections; they should not be treated as a general participation rate for every civic activity or every election type.
Non-presidential general-election turnout
Participation was generally lower in the reported non-presidential general elections. The same Voter Turnout source records the following results:
| General election | Ballots cast | Eligible voters | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 3,790,202 | 7,412,050 | 51.14% |
| 2018 | 3,755,778 | 7,089,657 | 52.98% |
| 2014 | 2,918,052 | 6,628,521 | 44.02% |
| 2010 | 2,700,393 | 6,172,787 | 43.57% |
| 2006 | 2,036,451 | 5,567,424 | 36.58% |
| 2002 | 2,349,966 | 5,003,297 | 46.97% |
| 1998 | 2,012,149 | 4,700,799 | 42.80% |
| 1994 | 1,533,728 | 3,635,875 | 42.18% |
| 1990 | 2,068,904 | 3,347,635 | 61.80% |
The reported turnout was 51.14% in 2022 and 52.98% in 2018. It was 44.02% in 2014, 43.57% in 2010, 36.58% in 2006, 46.97% in 2002, 42.80% in 1998, and 42.18% in 1994. The 1990 general election record shows 2,068,904 ballots cast among 3,347,635 eligible voters, or 61.80%.
The 2022 eligible-voter count was 7,412,050, compared with 7,089,657 in 2018 and 6,628,521 in 2014. Earlier records list 6,172,787 eligible voters in 2010, 5,567,424 in 2006, 5,003,297 in 2002, 4,700,799 in 1998, 3,635,875 in 1994, and 3,347,635 in 1990.
Participation by age, race, and ethnicity
The North Carolina State Board of Elections’ 2024 General Election Turnout breakdown shows different reported turnout rates across age groups. Voters ages 18–25 numbered 599,900 participants, with a 57.4% turnout rate. The 26–40 group had 1,208,084 participants and a 61.1% rate. Participants ages 41–65 totaled 2,400,621, with a 79.2% rate, while those 66 and over totaled 1,497,256, with an 83.2% rate.
| Reported group | Participants | Turnout |
|---|---|---|
| Age 18–25 | 599,900 | 57.4% |
| Age 26–40 | 1,208,084 | 61.1% |
| Age 41–65 | 2,400,621 | 79.2% |
| Age 66 and over | 1,497,256 | 83.2% |
| Asian | 92,886 | 67.9% |
| Black or African American | 1,018,521 | 66.0% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 36,016 | 62.7% |
| Two or more races | 24,519 | 59.5% |
| White | 3,904,978 | 78.2% |
The same 2024 records list 180,669 participants in the category labeled Other, with a 58.2% turnout rate; 635 Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander participants, with a 58.4% rate; and 447,637 voters with no designated race, with a 58.2% rate.
By ethnicity, 184,002 Hispanic or Latino voters participated, with a 56.2% turnout rate. Non-Hispanic or Latino voters numbered 3,919,492 participants, with a 75.8% rate. Voters with no designated ethnicity numbered 1,602,367 participants, with a 68.0% rate. These categories and labels are reproduced as reported for the 2024 general election and are not interchangeable with the race categories.
How North Carolinians cast ballots
Voting method is another dimension of civic participation. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ Voter Turnout, early voting accounted for 74% of North Carolina voters in the 2024 presidential general election. Absentee-by-mail voting accounted for 5%, and Election Day in-person voting accounted for 21%.
The 2020 presidential general election had a different distribution: early voting accounted for 65% of voters, absentee-by-mail voting for 18%, and Election Day in-person voting for 16%. The reported shares show how the mix of participation methods differed between the two presidential elections.
National election-administration data also provide context for 2024. The Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS) 2024 Comprehensive Report reports 48,872,528 ballots cast through in-person early voting across states, an 18% increase from 2020. It reports 52,816,493 ballots cast in person on Election Day, a 12% increase from 2020. For the 2024 general election, 47 states allowed no-excuse in-person early voting open to any registered voter.
The national EAVS figures are not North Carolina totals, so they should be read as broader context rather than a substitute for the state’s records.
Formal and informal volunteering
Civic participation extends beyond elections. The U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps reported in New U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps Research Tracks Virtual Volunteering for First Time that an estimated 75.7 million people, or 28.3% of the U.S. population age 16 and over, formally volunteered through an organization between September 2022 and September 2023.
Those formal volunteers served an estimated 4.99 billion hours, representing more than $167.2 billion in estimated economic value. Eighteen percent of formal volunteers served completely or partially online.
The formal volunteering rate rose from 23.2% in 2021 to 28.3% in 2023, an increase of 5.1 percentage points and a reported 22.1% growth rate. Even so, the 2023 national rate was 1.7 percentage points below its pre-pandemic level. In 14 states and five of the 12 largest metropolitan statistical areas, 2023 rates matched or exceeded 2019 levels. In 11 states and the District of Columbia metropolitan area, rates remained more than 5 percentage points below pre-pandemic levels.
The intensity of formal volunteering also changed. Average hours per formal volunteer fell from 96.5 hours in 2017 to 70 hours in 2023. The median formal volunteer served 24 hours in 2023, compared with 40 hours in 2017.
Informal help reached a broader estimated population: 137.5 million Americans, or 54.2%, helped their neighbors between September 2022 and September 2023. Formal volunteering and informal neighbor assistance measure different activities, so their rates should not be combined.
Local elections and political engagement
The VOLUNTEERING AND CIVIC LIFE IN AMERICA report measured several forms of civic and political participation during the September 2022–September 2023 CEV period. Fifty-three percent of Americans age 18 and over reported voting in the last local election, representing 123.4 million local-election voters. The reported rate was also 53% during the September 2018–September 2019 CEV period.
Seven percent of Americans, or 17.7 million people, reported donating more than $25 to a political organization, party, or campaign during the 2023 CEV period. In the 2019 CEV period, 8% reported donating to a political cause; the report describes a 13% decline in the national rate between the 2019 and 2023 periods.
Nine percent of Americans, or 21.9 million people, contacted or visited a public official to express an opinion during the 2023 CEV period. Among people who contacted or visited a public official, 83% also voted in the last local election.
Attendance at public meetings was reported at a similar percentage: 9% of Americans, or more than 23.8 million people, attended a zoning, school-board, or other public meeting about a local issue during the 2023 CEV period. The report states that the 123.4 million local-election voters represented about five times the number who donated to a political cause, contacted a public official, or attended a public meeting.
Together, these measures show why civic participation is broader than turnout alone. Voting was the largest reported activity in the 2023 CEV period, while volunteering, helping neighbors, contacting officials, donating, and attending public meetings captured additional ways people took part in community life.