A record 353,166 voters turned out statewide, according to data from the State Board of Elections.

Thursday's early voting numbers topped the previous record for the first day of early voting – 348,559, set in 2020 – by 1.3 percent.

The county with the highest population statewide – Wake County - also saw the greatest number of first-day ballots cast: 30,843. Almost 30,000 voters cast ballots in Mecklenburg County.

North Carolina has more than 7.7 million registered voters on the rolls. Almost 3 million of them are unaffiliated. Statewide, 2.4 million people are registered as Democrats; 2.3 million are registered as Republicans.

"These are critical elections in our state," she said. "We are a battleground state, and there's a lot of attention to us because of the presidential contest, but we will have a new governor, a new lieutenant governor, a new attorney general. We'll have many members newly elected to our legislature."

People who aren't registered to vote, or who need to update their address, name or other information, can also register in person during early voting using a driver’s license or other acceptable proof of ID.

The WRAL Voter Guide is based on your address because your ballot varies by where you live. Enter your address to see the races and candidates you will vote for come primary day.

Based on your address, see and compare the candidates for each office, and read their answers to questions about the issues you care about.

The WRAL Voter Guide uses your email address to allow you to double-check your voter registration and set a reminder for your time and place to vote.