By Sunday, 4,465,548 voters had cast their ballots, according to the State Election Board, compared to the previous record of 3.6 million in 2020. In all, 57% of the state’s 7.8 million registered voters have voted. Areas affected by Hurricane Helene had higher levels of early voting — the 25 counties affected had a rate of 58.9% — assuaging concerns about the natural disaster affecting voting.

“I am proud of all of our 100 county boards of elections and the thousands of election workers who are making this happen in their communities,” State Election Board Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell said in a statement. “And I am especially proud of the workers and voters of Western North Carolina. You are an inspiration to us all.”

The results were promising for former President Donald Trump, with registered Republicans accounting for 33.3% of the votes compared to the registered Democrats’ 32.4%. Unaffiliated voters accounted for another 33.6%. At the same point in 2020, Democrats were roughly 6 points ahead in early voting turnout.

Despite the promising results for Republicans, Democrats are remaining optimistic.

“The models are showing that this race is breaking toward Democrats, and we’re confident going into Tuesday night,” Tommy Mattocks, communications director for the North Carolina Democratic Party, told the News and Observer.

Another promising sign for Democrats was a higher turnout from women, 52%, compared to 41% for men. However, black voter turnout, compared to this point in 2020, was down, which is a bad sign for Democrats.

Trump is ahead of Vice President Kamala Harris in most polls in North Carolina, though the state remains a “toss-up.”