Tight presidential race helps NC break early voting records

Raleigh, N.C. — Thanks to dozens of "get out the vote" rallies and a presidential race coming down to the wire, the early-voting period in North Carolina broke records on its final day Saturday.

In the 2½-week early voting period, more than 2.51 million North Carolina residents in 100 counties cast in-person ballots, breaking the record 2008 total of 2.41 million, according to State Board of Elections data. On the Web My Ballot: Compare candidates side-by-side

Final early-vote totals were expected Monday.

State Board of Elections Executive Director Gary Bartlett labeled voting "very heavy, very robust" Saturday with long lines before the early voting period ended at 1 p.m. in many counties and 5 p.m. elsewhere. Residents on Saturday could register and vote on the same day — that's not allowed on Election Day.

It was unclear if overall absentee voting — mail-in, military and overseas ballots included — would exceed the record non-Election Day turnout of 42 percent of registered voters in 2008. There are 400,000 more registered voters compared to 2008. Some mountain and coastal counties saw a drop-off in early-vote totals last week because of bad weather due to Hurricane Sandy, Bartlett said. More Info NC voter resources

According to the State Board of Elections website, nearly 200,000 people had submitted absentee ballots by Saturday afternoon, bringing the grand total of votes cast in the early voting period to more than 2.7 million.

The total represents more than 40 percent of registered voters in North Carolina.

Both sides saw positives from early-vote totals — Democrats with an overall increase in voting by their base and Republicans in narrowing the advantage Democrats had on a percentage basis compared to four years ago, when Obama won North Carolina by just 14,000 votes of 4.3 million votes cast. Polls show the presidential race very close again.

Nationally, more than 27 million people have already voted in 34 states and the District of Columbia, either by mail or in person.

Election Day is Tuesday.

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Latest Comments

It's funny how so many people seem to equate black people voting with a vote for President Obama. Yet those same people are unwilling to equate a white person voting as a vote for Romney. Why is that? If white people are capable of making an informed decision based on their opinions about what's best for the country...and choosing either Obama or Romney, why is there a perceived difference that black people can't do the same?

jlt68
November 6, 2012 11:59 a.m.

free2beme obama wanted you to vote early so you could not change your mind. Of course if you voted for him you did not have much to change. Wait until he rams more stupidity through without a vote. The 47 % now knows that to get more you have to vote in who ever is willing to give them the most regardless of who it is. And that is how the democrats enslave them. Biden said the GOP was going to put them back in chains Heck the democrats have never let them out.

lumberman
November 5, 2012 4:18 p.m.

It's so funny to see how people are talking about the "blacks" voting. Alot of people would like go back to the times when black people could not vote. People are always talking about black people voting for President Obama because he is black. Well, for the white people who are voting for Romney, after all of the lies and the back and forth, are you still voting for him because he is white? Black people have been voting. Some people are just paying more attention to it now because there is a black person, who is by-the-way only 50% black, running. Wake up people!!! Stop making everything about race. Get rid of the ignorance!!!

leverett81
November 5, 2012 4:06 p.m.

@NY IA and VA will go to President Obama. CO to Romney. FL who knows... (or cares...) it is all OH and PA which IMO will go blue...

sweetums googoo
November 5, 2012 3:45 p.m.

The fools have been set up for a big fall by their cohorts in the media. trying to shape opinion about the closeness of the race by over-sampling democrats has only helps to further energize Republicans. Landslide-Romney

4Strikes
November 5, 2012 1:45 p.m.