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Sanford, Lee County

Sanford: State records list 3,605 Lee County early votes; mail requests due today

A State Board of Elections file updated early Tuesday counted 3,605 in-person early ballots. Two Sanford sites stay open through Oct. 31. Tuesday is the last day to request a mail ballot.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

A downtown street in Sanford, N.C.

File photo: Indy beetle (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • A North Carolina State Board of Elections absentee-counts file for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election, last modified at 4:40 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, listed 3,605 early-voting ballots for Lee County.Confirmed by NCSBE absentee counts by county file, last modified Oct. 20, 2026, 4:40 a.m. Eastern
  • The same file listed 182 civilian mail-absentee records for Lee County, plus smaller military and overseas rows. It listed zero "one-stop" rows beside the early-voting total.Confirmed by NCSBE absentee counts by county file, last modified Oct. 20, 2026, 4:40 a.m. Eastern
  • Lee County said Oct. 7 that in-person early voting began Oct. 15 at the Bob Hales Center, 147 McIver Street in Sanford, and the McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road in Sanford.Confirmed by Lee County news release, Oct. 7, 2026
  • That notice listed weekday hours of 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday from Oct. 15 through Oct. 30, Sunday, Oct. 18, from 1 to 4 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 31, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.Confirmed by Lee County news release, Oct. 7, 2026
  • The county's polling-site page also names those two Sanford buildings for early voting and says Election Day polling places are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.Confirmed by Lee County Board of Elections polling-site page
  • The Oct. 7 notice said mail absentee ballots may be requested through the N.C. Absentee Portal at votebymail.ncsbe.gov before the Oct. 20, 2026, deadline.Confirmed by Lee County news release, Oct. 7, 2026
  • The State Board of Elections says statewide in-person early voting for the Nov. 3 election started Thursday, Oct. 15, and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, and that a mail-absentee request is due two weeks before Election Day. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections
  • During early voting, a voter may use any early-voting site in their county. On Election Day they must use their assigned precinct, the State Board says. Photo ID is required at check-in.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections
  • Lee County warned that road closures near the Bob Hales Center do not block that site. It remains reachable from McIver Street, with detour signs in place.Confirmed by Lee County news release, Oct. 7, 2026; Lee County Board of Elections, via The Sanford Herald, Oct. 20, 2026
  • The Sanford Herald, citing figures released by the Lee County Board of Elections, reported 2,672 ballots during Thursday, Friday and Sunday, the first three early-voting days, at those two sites.Confirmed by The Sanford Herald, Oct. 20, 2026, citing the Lee County Board of Elections
  • The Herald also reported Election Day as Tuesday, Nov. 3, with Lee County's 10 precincts open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and said voters must go to their assigned precinct that day unless it is also an early-voting site.Confirmed by The Sanford Herald, Oct. 20, 2026

Still unknown

  • How many in-person ballots were added after the 4:40 a.m. Tuesday state file
  • A clock time on Tuesday's mail-request deadline. The county named the date; it did not publish an hour on the notice we read
  • A turnout share of registered voters. We are not calculating one from these files

What this means for you

Instructions from Lee County Board of Elections; North Carolina State Board of Elections

This site is not an elections office. For sites, hours, sample ballots and photo ID rules, use LeeCountyNC.gov/Elections or the State Board of Elections. Request a mail ballot at votebymail.ncsbe.gov. The Lee County Board of Elections is 919-718-4646 or elections@leecountync.gov. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

What happened

In Sanford, Lee County voters still have two in-person early-voting sites this month, and Tuesday is the last day the county listed to request a mail ballot for Nov. 3.

A North Carolina State Board of Elections absentee-counts file, last modified at 4:40 a.m. Tuesday, listed 3,605 early-voting ballots for Lee County. That snapshot does not include most of Tuesday's in-person traffic.

The Sanford Herald, citing the county board of elections, reported 2,672 ballots during Thursday, Friday and Sunday, the first three days of the period. Those are different counts from different days. We are not subtracting them.

Where to vote in person

County notices name the Bob Hales Center, 147 McIver Street, and the McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road, both in Sanford. Weekday hours are 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 30. Saturday, Oct. 31, is 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., which matches the statewide close the State Board lists.

The county said road work near the Bob Hales Center does not shut that site. It remains reachable from McIver Street, with detour signs posted.

During this period, a voter may use either Lee County site. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, they must go to their assigned precinct, the State Board says. The Herald, citing county officials, said 10 precincts will be open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Bring an accepted photo ID. Same-day registration is available at early-voting sites, the State Board says, and is not available for most people on Election Day.

Mail ballots

The county's Oct. 7 notice said a mail ballot may be requested through votebymail.ncsbe.gov before Oct. 20. The State Board describes that cutoff as two weeks before Election Day. The notice we read did not print a clock time.

The same state file listed 182 civilian mail-absentee records for Lee County as of 4:40 a.m. Tuesday, plus 14 military and 19 overseas rows.

What happens next

This site is not an elections office. For current hours, sample ballots and ID rules, use LeeCountyNC.gov/Elections or ncsbe.gov. The county board is 919-718-4646 or elections@leecountync.gov. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Photos

Text-only. No county or newspaper photos are used here.

Why it matters

People in Sanford and the rest of Lee County who have not voted still have two in-person sites through Oct. 31. Tuesday is the last day the county listed to request a mail ballot for Nov. 3.

Updates

  1. Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 PM

    The state absentee-counts file updated at 4:40 a.m. Tuesday listed 3,605 Lee County early-voting ballots. County notices still list two Sanford sites through Oct. 31 and a mail-request deadline of Oct. 20.

Sources

  1. Absentee counts by county CSV for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election (NCSBE file absentee_counts_county_20261103.csv, last modified 4:40 a.m. Eastern Oct. 20, 2026: Lee County EARLY VOTING 3,605; CIVILIAN 182; MILITARY 14; OVERSEAS 19; ONE-STOP 0)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 PM

  2. Early Voting Schedule for Lee County (Lee County, Oct. 7, 2026: Bob Hales Center, 147 McIver Street; McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road; weekdays 8 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Oct. 15–30; Sunday, Oct. 18, 1–4 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; road closures near Bob Hales, access from McIver Street; mail requests via votebymail.ncsbe.gov before Oct. 20; Election Day Nov. 3, 10 precincts, 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; elections@leecountync.gov, 919-718-4646)

    Official sourcePublished by Lee County, North Carolina · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 PM

  3. Polling Site Information (Lee County Board of Elections: early voting at Bob Hales Center, 147 McIver St., and McSwain Center, 2420 Tramway Road; Election Day 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.; Board of Elections, 1503 Elm St., #1, Sanford)

    Official sourcePublished by Lee County Board of Elections · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 PM

  4. Vote Early in Person (statewide in-person early voting Oct. 15 through 3 p.m. Oct. 31; Election Day Nov. 3; any early-voting site in the county; assigned precinct on Election Day; photo ID; same-day registration during early voting)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 PM

  5. Vote By Mail (mail-absentee request due two weeks before Election Day; portal and paper request options)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 PM

  6. More than 2,600 cast ballots in first days of early voting in Lee County (The Sanford Herald, Oct. 20, 2026: 2,672 ballots Thursday, Friday and Sunday, citing the Lee County Board of Elections; two Sanford sites; Bob Hales access from McIver Street; Election Day Nov. 3, 10 precincts, 6:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m.)

    Published by The Sanford Herald · Checked Oct 20, 2026, 12:10 PM

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