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North Carolina early voting surges ahead of midterms

Election researchers say strong early participation could signal higher turnout than in recent midterms.

Election

North Carolina has already had 2.8 million people vote this election, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="up 30%" data-vars-click-url="https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Press/2026%20General/NC%20Absentee%20Stats%20for%202026%20General/2026-11-01%20Daily%20Absentee%20Stats%20Report%20-%202026%20General.pdf" data-vars-content-id="fd29e991-ec10-4b56-9f7d-b7d9cd89fc3f" data-vars-headline="North Carolina early voting surges ahead of midterms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/dl.ncsbe.gov/Press/2026%20General/NC%20Absentee%20Stats%20for%202026%20General/2026-11-01%20Daily%20Absentee%20Stats%20Report%20-%202026%20General.pdf" target="_blank">up 30%</a> from 2022&#x27;s early voting tally.Why it matters: Americans have been <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="turning out in droves" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/29/midterm-early-voting-trump-unaffiliated-voters" data-vars-content-id="fd29e991-ec10-4b56-9f7d-b7d9cd89fc3f" data-vars-headline="North Carolina early voting surges ahead of midterms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/29/midterm-early-voting-trump-unaffiliated-voters" target="_self">turning out in droves</a> to vote early ahead of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="midterms" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/20/midterms-early-voting-states-data" data-vars-content-id="fd29e991-ec10-4b56-9f7d-b7d9cd89fc3f" data-vars-headline="North Carolina early voting surges ahead of midterms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/20/midterms-early-voting-states-data" target="_self">midterms</a>, with unusually strong participation among Black, Hispanic and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="unaffiliated voters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/18/unconventional-candidates-2026-midterms" data-vars-content-id="fd29e991-ec10-4b56-9f7d-b7d9cd89fc3f" data-vars-headline="North Carolina early voting surges ahead of midterms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/10/18/unconventional-candidates-2026-midterms" target="_self">unaffiliated voters</a> in several states, according to election researchers.

Dewitt Carolinas breaks ground on Life Time Living tower

Seven other Life Time Living communities have been built across the country.

Development

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Dewitt Carolinas" data-vars-click-url="https://dewittcarolinas.com/" data-vars-content-id="73a79df1-c92a-482d-a384-e49357918db9" data-vars-headline="Dewitt Carolinas breaks ground on Life Time Living tower" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://dewittcarolinas.com/" target="_blank">Dewitt Carolinas</a>, the Raleigh-based developer behind <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Exchange" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/08/14/cafe-royale-parisian-style-cafe-coming-to-the-exchange-in-midtown-raleigh" data-vars-content-id="73a79df1-c92a-482d-a384-e49357918db9" data-vars-headline="Dewitt Carolinas breaks ground on Life Time Living tower" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/raleigh/2026/08/14/cafe-royale-parisian-style-cafe-coming-to-the-exchange-in-midtown-raleigh" target="_self">The Exchange</a> development, broke ground Thursday on its next tower in Midtown Raleigh. Why it matters: The 20-story Life Time Living tower is the third vertical project to emerge at The Exchange, joining the 1000 Social office building and One Renaissance Center. <ul><li>In total, The Exchange is one of the most expensive developments being built in the city. </li></ul>

AI startup with heavy Duke ties eyes North Carolina for growth

Serval is led by a married couple that met at Duke.

Business

In a sea of fast-growing AI startups in San Francisco, one of them has a particular heavy Blue Devil influence at the top. Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Serval" data-vars-click-url="https://www.serval.com/" data-vars-content-id="6a407cc4-1a6a-4742-b7ab-9a7097ef649e" data-vars-headline="AI startup with heavy Duke ties eyes North Carolina for growth" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.serval.com/" target="_blank">Serval</a>, whose AI-assisted IT support software is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="valued at $1 billion" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reuters.com/technology/ai-startup-serval-valued-1-billion-after-sequoia-led-round-expand-it-automation-2025-12-11/" data-vars-content-id="6a407cc4-1a6a-4742-b7ab-9a7097ef649e" data-vars-headline="AI startup with heavy Duke ties eyes North Carolina for growth" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/ai-startup-serval-valued-1-billion-after-sequoia-led-round-expand-it-automation-2025-12-11/" target="_blank">valued at $1 billion</a>, is led by the married couple Tatiana Birgisson and Jake Stauch, who met at Duke more than a decade ago and both founded Durham-based startups as undergrads.

North Carolina pushes to land Autonomous Warfare Command

The new command center created by the Defense Department will lead efforts on autonomous warfare.

News

North Carolina elected officials and business groups are making a public push to land a planned command center on autonomous warfare.Why it matters: In September, the Department of Defense announced it would <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="create the Autonomous Warfare Command" data-vars-click-url="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/09/30/hegseth-announces-new-four-star-command-for-autonomous-warfare/" data-vars-content-id="de3e16c6-c5ea-46b0-83c1-009598dea37e" data-vars-headline="North Carolina pushes to land Autonomous Warfare Command" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2026/09/30/hegseth-announces-new-four-star-command-for-autonomous-warfare/" target="_blank">create the Autonomous Warfare Command</a> (AUTOWARCOM), a new four-star command meant to lead the military&#x27;s efforts around autonomous warfare, like drones or unmanned combat vehicles.

Watch Raleigh scientists uncover a 75-million-year-old dinosaur

Scientists are extracting a rare, nearly complete skeleton that could reveal a new species.

Things to Do

Paleontologists in a downtown Raleigh lab are extracting a 75-million-year-old dinosaur fossil from stone — and anyone can stop by to watch them work.Why it matters: The ostrich-like skeleton being unearthed could be a new dinosaur species, according to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences" data-vars-click-url="https://www.naturalsciences.org/" data-vars-content-id="60fd58b1-62e4-4547-a699-8581216ae366" data-vars-headline="Watch Raleigh scientists uncover a 75-million-year-old dinosaur" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.naturalsciences.org/" target="_blank">North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences</a> research team.

For UNC students, 9/11 is history — not memory

A UNC professor is teaching a generation born years after the attacks why 9/11 changed the world.

History

It&#x27;s been 25 years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and historians today are teaching college students increasingly disconnected from the earth-shattering event.The big picture: UNC-Chapel Hill associate professor <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Eren Tasar" data-vars-click-url="https://history.unc.edu/person/eren-tasar/" data-vars-content-id="86a0ec6f-0e58-4a6a-8343-1bb6b2be07d2" data-vars-headline="For UNC students, 9/11 is history — not memory" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://history.unc.edu/person/eren-tasar/" target="_blank">Eren Tasar</a> teaches 9/11 in World History to undergraduates too young to answer the question most other adults turn to first: &quot;Where were you?&quot;