---
title: "Cooper and Whatley Cast Early Votes in NC Senate Race"
url: https://www.hereobx.com/2026/10/17/cooper-whatley-cast-early-votes-nc-senate/
date: 2026-10-17T10:18:19-04:00
modified: 2026-10-17T10:18:19-04:00
author: "HERE City State Desk"
categories: ["Politics"]
site: "HERE Outer Banks"
attribution: "HERE Outer Banks"
---

# Cooper and Whatley Cast Early Votes in NC Senate Race

> GASTONIA, N.C. — North Carolina’s U.S. Senate nominees marked the start of early voting by casting their own ballots, as Republican Michael Whatley finished at a Gastonia site and Democrat Roy Cooper did the same in Raleigh. Whatley spoke to a sizable gathering after he finished at the polls Friday. He framed his campaign around

*Source: [HERE Outer Banks](https://www.hereobx.com/2026/10/17/cooper-whatley-cast-early-votes-nc-senate/) — October 17, 2026 by HERE City State Desk*

GASTONIA, N.C. — North Carolina’s U.S. Senate nominees marked the start of early voting by casting their own ballots, as Republican Michael Whatley finished at a Gastonia site and Democrat Roy Cooper did the same in Raleigh.

Whatley spoke to a sizable gathering after he finished at the polls Friday. He framed his campaign around the path he says he took in North Carolina — schooling, work, marriage, a home and raising children — and said he wants the same chances for families statewide.

Cooper, who previously served as governor, used the opening day of the early voting period to vote in the capital as sites opened across all 100 counties.

Mecklenburg elections directors tallied 17,700 ballots from that opening session alone. Boards elsewhere also moved through large batches of absentee-by-mail ballots as the early window began.

The early voting period stays open until 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Until then, a registered voter can use any early voting location inside the home county. Once voters reach Election Day on Nov. 3, that flexibility ends and each voter must go to the assigned polling place.

Same-day registration remains available during early voting for people who meet residency rules and bring proof of where they live. Photo identification is requested at check-in, with an exception form available for anyone who cannot show an accepted ID.

The Senate race sits atop a statewide ballot that also includes contests for the North Carolina Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, plus legislative and county offices. Sample ballots and registration checks are available through the State Board of Elections voter tools.

County boards post site hours and addresses that can change by locality, so voters are urged to confirm the nearest open location before they leave home. Lines were already long in several urban counties on the first afternoon, a sign organizers expect heavy traffic through the rest of October.