Republican participation grows as early voting continues

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent

Politics - More than 9,200 ballots have been cast during early voting in Cleveland County, with Republicans accounting for a growing share of voters since the opening day, according to figures from the Cleveland County Board of Elections.

The report, timestamped 8:06 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, shows that 9,203 ballots had been cast across the county’s three early-voting sites ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.

Democrats accounted for 3,777 ballots, followed by Republicans with 2,960 and unaffiliated voters with 2,441.

The latest figures show a shift in the party composition of early voters compared with the first day of voting on Oct. 15.

Democrats, who accounted for 46.4% of first-day voters, represented almost 40% of the cumulative total as of Thursday evening. Unaffiliated voters have remained relatively steady, accounting for about 26.5% of ballots in the latest report.

Looking at the voting that took place after the first day, Republicans accounted for approximately 33.3% of ballots cast, compared with 26.8% on opening day. Democrats accounted for approximately 39.9% of ballots cast, down from 46.4% on Oct. 15.

The shift is notable in Cleveland County, which has generally favored local Republican candidates in the past decade, and state and national Republican candidates in the last 25 years.

However, early-voting statistics reflect party registration rather than votes cast for individual candidates. The figures show a change in the composition of the early-voting electorate but do not establish how the election will turn out.

(Local voting turnout continued below...)

Shelby site leads early-voting turnout

The Shelby Board of Elections office recorded the highest turnout, with 5,234 ballots cast. That represented approximately 57% of the countywide total.

The Kings Mountain site recorded 2,440 ballots, while the Boiling Springs site recorded 1,529.

Together, the three sites accounted for all 9,203 ballots included in the report.

Voter demographics

The report also included a breakdown by race.

White voters accounted for 5,849 ballots, while Black voters accounted for 2,734. The report listed 442 voters under the category UND (unidentified), along with 110 categorized as other, 32 Asian voters, 21 multiracial voters and 15 Indigenous American voters.

The figures represent the demographic categories recorded by the Cleveland County Board of Elections and do not establish how any group voted in individual political races.

Early voting continues through Oct. 31, giving residents an opportunity to cast their ballots before Election Day, Nov. 3.

The Shelby Independent will continue to follow early-voting turnout as the election approaches.

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Chuck Thompson is a reporter and columnist for The Shelby Independent.

THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT.