Guilford County Primary: Early Voting Up 30% as Local Races Decided

Voters in Guilford County cast ballots on March 3, 2026, after a brisk early-voting period that produced 6,986 early votes "as of Tuesday night," a 30% increase from 4,944 in the comparable early window of the 2022 midterm cycle. Guilford County Board of Elections Director Charlie Collicutt attributed the rise to competitive local contests, saying, "We are in a period of a very engaged electorate."

The March 3 primary featured several countywide and state contests that likely drove turnout: an at-large countywide race for the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, multiple Guilford County Board of Education seats, the countywide race for Clerk of Superior Court, a pair of state House seats, and the Republican primary for the party’s nominee for Guilford County sheriff. Local and regional outlets published rolling results as precincts reported throughout the evening, with many races settling only after late returns were tallied.

Residents and reporters were directed to the North Carolina State Board of Elections Election Results Dashboard for live precinct reporting; the dashboard was expected to begin posting data by about 8:00 p.m. on election night and to update roughly every 15 minutes as precincts reported. Guilford County's elections page indicated a fuller set of March 3 Primary Election results should be posted by 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4, and stressed that posted numbers are unofficial until certification at the Canvass scheduled for March 13, 2026. For questions or data requests, the county provided the Board of Elections phone 336-641-3836 and email guilfordelections@guilfordcountync.gov; Guilford County Government's administrative address is 301 W. Market St., Greensboro, NC 27401, with offices open Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Early-voting access in Guilford included 10 total sites countywide; three High Point-area locations were listed by name and address: Deep River Recreation Center, 1529 Skeet Club Road; Jamestown Town Hall, 301 E. Main St.; and Roy Culler Jr. Senior Center at 921 Eastchester Dr., Suite 1230 in the former Oak Hollow Mall. Weekday early voting hours were 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. through Feb. 27, with weekend windows on Saturday, Feb. 21, and Sunday, Feb. 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The 6,986 figure cited came during the first week of early voting.

Neighboring Davidson County also saw an early-vote uptick, with 2,448 votes cast "as of Tuesday night," up 9% from 2,218 in the comparable 2022 period; Davidson County Board of Elections Director Andrew Richards linked that rise to contested Republican races, including 12 candidates seeking four Republican nominations for Davidson County Board of Commissioners. The contrast highlights how local candidate slates and contested primaries can affect turnout across the Piedmont.

Close margins and recounts remained part of the post-election landscape. WFMY reported that a Guilford County recount for a Greensboro City Council primary confirmed the original result: "The recount confirmed that the original election night results were correct, making T. Dianne Bellamy-Small the winner," with election-night totals showing Bellamy-Small at 9.35% and Carla Franklin at 9.26%. Regional headlines also flagged razor-thin margins elsewhere, including a two-vote separation in the NC Senate District 26 contest between Sam Page and Phil Berger that could prompt further canvass activity.

With unofficial returns posted night-of and a canvass scheduled for March 13, final certified outcomes will determine control of county offices such as the Board of Commissioners and the sheriff's office. The surge in early ballots and the mix of countywide and state-level contests underscore the heightened local stakes this primary posed for Guilford County voters and officials.