Buncombe County, North Carolina

Early voting continues to outpace prior midterm cycles ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Nationally, more than 12.6 million Americans have voted early, with a CNN analysis of 25 states finding Democrats leading turnout among both high- and low-propensity voters, especially in Kansas and North Carolina. Iowa absentee ballots are up nearly 30% from four years ago, and Florida has topped 3.5 million ballots cast with Republicans narrowly ahead. Oklahoma saw a 41% jump in first-day turnout over 2022, driven largely by Democrats and independents, though Republicans still led overall. In Buncombe County, N.C., turnout has already surpassed all of 2022. Analysts caution early returns don't reliably predict final results.

North Carolina voters will decide Nov. 3 on a constitutional amendment requiring state lawmakers to cap increases in local property tax collections, though the measure leaves specific limits undetermined. Buncombe County commissioners voted to formally oppose it, citing vague language that could jeopardize funding for schools, emergency services and Helene recovery efforts. Commissioner Parker Sloan said approval wouldn't guarantee lower tax bills and could shift more control to the General Assembly, with large property-owning utilities and corporations potentially benefiting most. Some residents say the amendment's wording is confusing. If passed, lawmakers would still need to set actual collection limits and any exceptions.

Texas began early voting for the midterm election this week, with 812,998 ballots cast in the first two days. Analysis of primary voting history, compiled by consultant Derek Ryan, shows voters with a Democratic primary-only history outpacing Republican primary-only voters by 69,046 ballots on day one — a reversal from 2022, when Republicans led by 81,429 votes at the same point. Ryan cautions it's too early to draw firm conclusions, noting highly engaged repeat voters dominate turnout so far, with first-time voters making up only 3% of ballots cast.

A similar pattern has emerged in North Carolina's Buncombe County, where nearly 40,000 voters cast ballots in the first six days, with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans nearly 4 to 1 (18,639 to 4,861), alongside 16,274 unaffiliated voters.

Early in-person voting opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan, giving residents 13 days to cast ballots before the Nov. 3 general election—beyond the nine days required by state law. Voters can cast ballots at any of four sites—St. Peter and Paul School, GRPS University, Ottawa Hills High School, and New Hope Baptist Church—rather than being limited to a home precinct, as on Election Day. The city is also offering live wait-time tracking online. City Clerk Joel Hondorp said absentee voting remains the most popular early option, and voters can bring absentee ballots to any early voting site or their precinct to run through the tabulator in person. The early voting window closes the Sunday before Election Day.

Buncombe County, North Carolina, election officials are conducting logic and accuracy testing on voting machines ahead of early voting, which begins Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31. The county has 13 early-voting sites and 80 Election Day sites, requiring testing of at least 93 machines plus backups, with results checked against more than 220,000 registered voters eligible to cast ballots.

Bipartisan teams run 384 test ballots through each machine, covering 32 ballot styles, standard and ExpressVote equipment, and accessibility features like audio and contrast settings, then compare output against a test script. State law requires testing only 10% of Election Day machines, but the county tested all early-voting machines and plans additional Election Day testing. Officials said no machine errors have been found, though testing previously caught a ballot misspelling. The process is open to the public, and the voter-registration deadline is Oct. 9, with same-day registration available during early voting.

A pastor with past gang ties says Asheville, North Carolina officials repeatedly ignored his proposal for a youth gang-prevention program, first pitched in 2016, as the city now grapples with a string of retaliatory shootings that left two people dead and seven wounded. Dr. Ronald Gates, senior pastor of Greater Works Church of God in Christ and a Buncombe County Sheriff's Office chaplain, argues city leaders are "whitewashing" the violence by framing it as retaliation between friend groups rather than acknowledging gang activity.

Gates modeled his proposal on a Los Angeles-based program teaching grade-school children how gangs recruit and the consequences of joining, paired with mentorship, education and entrepreneurship opportunities aimed at giving youth alternatives to gang money and status. He says he presented the plan to mayors, city and county managers, and police officials for years but was told in 2016 that Asheville lacked sufficient gang activity to warrant it. State data shows aggravated assaults in the city rose sharply between 2016 and 2024, even as the overall crime index declined. Gates argues officials should act on youth violence regardless of how it's labeled.