Mail-In Voting: Nearly 4,500 Ballots Cast In North Carolina Last Week

A large number of absentee mail-in ballots have reportedly been cast in North Carolina over the past week.

A total of 4,356 ballots were accepted, according to data from the state Board of Elections' daily list of all voters who have submitted their mail-in ballots, CBS 17 News reports. The data shows the state's acceptance rate increased to 97% on Thursday.

The acceptance rate was previously reported to be at 71% on Tuesday after the first ballots were cast and mailed last week, with 131 ballots not being accepted, CBS 17 News reports.

As of Thursday, state Board of Elections data shows 737,347 residents requested mail-in ballots, which was an increase of 118,505 over a 7-day span. A total of 4,487 ballots had already been cast and returned, according to data.

“That number is skyrocketing … you’ve only had a few days of the ballots being out there in people’s mailboxes,” said John Couvillion, a Louisiana-based election analytics expert via CBS 17 News. “That suggests to me that people are ready to start voting.

Data also showed 84 of the 131 rejected ballots were deemed as "spoiled," according to CBS 17 News. Two voters who were listed as having spoiled ballots told CBS 17 News they had issues either because of address changes or mistakes made filling out the ballots.

Both individuals said they requested new ballots. Initial "spoiled" ballots must be canceled before a voter's replacement ballot can be issued.

CBS 17 News reports another 36 ballots were rejected due to incomplete witness information.

According to data, the average age of voters whose ballots were rejected was 61, while the average for accepted ballots was 64. Among the ballots accepted as of Thursday, 59% were registered as Democrats while 12% were registered as Republicans, according to data via CBS 17 News.

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