If winning the White House is one of your goals for 2020, then winning the Electoral College is how you achieve the goal.

As much as I’d prefer that we go by a national popular vote, the fact remains that the system that will be in place to elect the next president is the Electoral College. (And yes, I know there is momentum around the Popular Vote Compact which I’ve written about HERE, but it won’t be in place until 2022 at the earliest.)

Winning the EC will come down to the swing states. Here is a quick rundown of North Carolina, plus how you can help the state go blue on Election Night.

Electoral Votes: 15

Presidential Voting History

2000 – R
2004 – R
2008 – D
2012 – R
2016 – R

Recent Turnout

2016 Presidential Election
Democrats 2,189,316
Republicans 2,362,631

2018 Midterms
Turnout rates for Democrats (55%), Republicans (58%), and Libertarians (36%) all exceeded 2014 turnout rates by eight percentage points.

Primary Election Date

March 3, 2020 (Super Tuesday)

Key Down Ballot Races in 2020

High profile or competitive races at the state level can drive turnout to the polls. Here’s what’s on deck next year.

U.S. Senate
Republican Thom Tillis is up for re-election.

U.S. House
All 13 House seats are up for re-election. Districts 2, 9, and 13 are considered to be the most competitive.

Governor/Lt. Governor
The current incumbent is Democrat Roy Cooper, who won in 2016 by an extremely narrow margin.

Attorney General
Like the governor’s race, the 2016 election was won by Democrat Josh Stein in a very close race.

How You Can Help

Get involved with voter registration and voter turnout efforts. You can join or donate to one of the following organizations, or you can volunteer for a candidate you’re inspired by. **A quick shout-out to the local organizers who informed me of these great organizations!** Here’s a short list to get you started:

Find your local Democratic party organization: North Carolina Democratic Party

Get involved with Organizing Together North Carolina  and their voter outreach efforts

Find voter registration events: League of Women Voters NC

Join & canvass with: Flip NC

Swing Left has targeted NC as one of their Super States in 2020.

Join: Democracy NC

Postcard Campaigns: Stamp NC Blue

District specific Democratic groups: 5th District, 10th District, 11th District, 12th District

Volunteer with: You Can Vote

Find progressive events in North Carolina: Mobilize America

Voter Registration Info: NC State Board of Elections Website

Volunteer for a candidate: 15 Ways to Help a Campaign Win Their Election

NOTE: If there are other organizations and resources specific to North Carolina that you can recommend, please put them in the comments so other readers can see them, too!

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Tags: 2020 Elections, community organizing, Elections, Electoral College, Explainers, featured, North Carolina, Swing State Series, swing states, turnout, voter registration