N.C. municipal primary election turnout less than 10% so far
Early voting in Cumberland, Durham and Guilford counties ended on Saturday, and the numbers show slightly higher turnout in Cumberland compared with the last municipal elections in 2023. But turnout rates across the board are still significantly less than the rates seen during state and federal elections.
These three counties' local government races, like most in the state, are nonpartisan, so the two candidates from each open seat that receive the most votes in the primary will move on to the general election on Nov. 4.
Nearly all municipal elections have occurred on odd-numbered years in North Carolina since the General Assembly set the 2-year schedule in 1971, which put local elections on the years in between state and federal ones.
The city of Fayetteville saw 5,075 votes cast during the early voting period this year, up from 3,540 in the last municipal election. But 5,075 is less than 4% of the total number of eligible voters.
https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nc/coastal/news/2025/10/06/municipalities-primary-election-early-voting-