The article looks at how people in North Carolina vote early in elections from 2004 to 2018. They compare voting by mail, in-person early voting, and voting on Election Day. Early voting has become more popular over the years, especially in presidential elections. In 2008, most votes were cast early. This trend continued in later presidential elections but not in mid-term elections. The article also talks about who these early voters are. The researchers used data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections to study this.