What NC precincts turned out in 2024? New data reveals most detail yet for Mecklenburg
New data show how voter turnout affected results of some of North Carolina’s most closely watched races in the 2024 election cycle.
The data, released this month by the N.C. State Board of Elections, provide a precinct-by-precinct look at how some 5.7 million people voted, including those who cast a ballot in Mecklenburg County. About 69% of eligible Mecklenburg County voters cast a ballot in last November’s presidential election, below the state average of 73.7%.
In Mecklenburg County, turnout was heaviest in northern precincts as well as in the southern portion of the county, stretching the the affluent neighborhoods just south of uptown east to Mint Hill, where turnout topped 80% in some areas.
Neighborhoods in Charlotte’s crescent, lower-income communities stretching north, east and west of uptown, had some of the lowest turnout, state Board of Elections data show. Turnout in those neighborhoods dipped as low as 43%.
Kamala Harris in Charlotte
As in previous presidential elections, most of Mecklenburg County voted for the Democratic Party. Democrat Kamala Harris captured about 64% of the county’s vote, with her strongest support in a swath of precincts stretching through Mecklenburg’s center. Some of those precincts also had the lowest voter turnout, however.
Harris’ strongest performance came north of uptown near the intersections of Interstate 77 and Interstate 85, around the Northwood community. There, in Precinct 16, she captured 92% of the vote, state data show.
The Mecklenburg County Democratic Party staffed up and brought in record-setting fundraising in the hopes of boosting turnout to give Harris an edge. But the numbers still lagged statewide levels, leading to tumult within the party as some accused leadership of failing to heed warnings about a lack of organization and enthusiasm in predominantly African American precincts.
Donald Trump in NC
Trump performed better in North Carolina in 2024 than he did in 2020, when he also won the state, Board of Elections data show. Trump grew his margin of victory in the Tar Heel State from 1.3% in 2020, his slimmest win of any state, to 3.2% in 2024.
Like he did four years ago, Trump captured most of rural North Carolina.
He also flipped 38 precincts that voted for Joe Biden in 2020, according to a News & Observer of Raleigh analysis. Harris flipped 37 precincts that voted for Trump four years ago, the newspaper found.
Democrats made significant investments in North Carolina this election cycle with the hope of flipping the battleground state for the first time since Barack Obama’s 2008 run. The former president was among multiple high-profile surrogates to campaign across the state, and Harris made frequent visits.
But Trump campaigned in North Carolina frequently, too.
The devastating impacts of Helene in Western North Carolina became a factor late in the race, with Trump blasting the Biden administration for its handling of disaster relief. Democrats and other state and local leaders alleged he was spreading misinformation about the government response.
Tricia Cotham election
More than 54,000 people voted in the race for North Carolina House of Representatives District 105. Republican Tricia Cotham eked out a victory against Democrat Nicole Sidman by a few hundred votes, thanks in part to strong support around Mint Hill, data show.
In one Mint Hill-area precinct — Precinct 221 — Cotham captured 60% of the vote, outperforming Trump.
Democrats angered by Cotham’s decision to leave the party and become a Republican in her previous term flooded Sidman’s campaign with donations and support. Cotham’s party switch gave the GOP a veto-proof supermajority in the state House, allowing them to pass further restrictions on abortion access.
Sidman’s campaign hoped the frustration with Cotham would drive up Democratic turnout and that the high-profile implications of her switch would draw in independents and even moderate Republicans, particularly women who favor abortion rights.
