Executive director of the State Board of Elections talks early voting turnout

THE REST ARE ABSENTEE MAIL-IN

BALLOTS. EARLY VOTING ENDS

SATURDAY AT 03:00PM. AND AS WE

SAID ELECTION DAY, EXACTLY ONE

WEEK AWAY. NOW, KAREN BRINSON

BELL A VERY BUSY LADY,

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE STATE

BOARD OF ELECTIONS JOINS US

NOW LIVE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR

YOUR TIME CARE. AND, YOU KNOW,

WE JUST HAVE THOSE NUMBERS.

MORE THAN 1 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE

VOTED EARLY SO FAR. YOU ADD

IN THE ABSENTEE, IT'S ALMOST

1.3 MILLION. SO HOW DOES THAT

NUMBER COMPARED TO OTHER

MIDTERM ELECTION YEARS, SUCH

AS 2018 WHERE WE HAD A HUGE

TURNOUT.

>> WE ARE PACING AHEAD OF 2018,

PARTICULARLY WITH THOSE

ABSENTEE MAIL BALLOTS AND ABOUT

100,000 MORE FOLKS HAVE IN THE

IN-PERSON EARLY VOTING. AND OF

COURSE, THOSE NUMBERS JUST

REFLECT THROUGH THE CLOSE

YESTERDAY AND EARLY VOTING ARE

GREETING VOTERS RIGHT NOW.

SO WE WE MAY SEE EVEN HIGHER

NUMBERS OVER 2018. BY THE TIME

WE CLOSED TODAY.

>> WHEN YOU SEE THESE EARLY

VOTING NUMBERS, WHAT DOES THIS

FORETELL NOW FOR ELECTION DAY

DO EXPECT A GOOD TURNOUT ON

ELECTION DAY PEOPLE JUST GOING

TO TURN OUT EARLY.

>> IN-PERSON EARLY VOTING HAS

BECOME THE MOST POPULAR VOTING

METHOD FOR NORTH CAROLINIANS.

SO WE EXPECT THIS KIND OF

TURNOUT DURING THE EARLY VOTING

PERIOD. BUT YEAH, THERE ARE A

LOT OF FOLKS WHO STILL WANT

TO CAST THAT BALLOT ON ELECTION

DAY AND WE WILL BE READY TO

GREET THEM. WE ALWAYS PREPARE

FOR 100% TURNOUT. I WISH WE

COULD HAVE THAT IN AN ELECTION.

BUT NONETHELESS, WE ARE LOOKING

TO SEE IF THE TURNOUT THERE

DURING EARLY VOTING OR ON

ELECTION DAY.

>> I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE I

LOVE VOTING ON ELECTION DAY.

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT

THE EXCITEMENT OF IT FOR ME

AT KAREN, BEFORE WE LET YOU

GO, WE HAVE SEEN STORIES ACROSS

THE COUNTRY ABOUT THREATS BEING

MADE SURROUNDING THE ELECTION.

WHAT SECURITY STEPS ARE IN

PLACE TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE AT

THE POLLS HERE IN NORTH

CAROLINA.

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S UNFORTUNATE

THAT THOSE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED

IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.

AND WE HAVE SEEN THREATS HERE

IN NORTH CAROLINA AS WELL.

WE'VE NOT BEEN IMMUNE TO IT,

BUT LUCKILY WE'RE NOT SEEING

THAT RIGHT NOW. THERE'S BEEN

SOME TENSION AMONG SOME OF THE

CAMPAIGNERS AND SO FORTH, BUT

NOTHING THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN

ABLE TO DE-ESCALATE. AND SO,

YOU KNOW, OUR OUR VOTERS AND

SHOULD KNOW THAT OUR OUR

WORKERS HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN

DE-ESCALATION TECHNIQUES.

WE HAVE A BUFFER ZONE WE'VE

BEEN WORKING WITH THE POLITICAL

PARTIES AND WITH LAW

ENFORCEMENT TO MAKE SURE THAT

THEY CAN HELP KEEP THE

TEMPERATURE DOWN AND MAKE SURE

THAT EVERY VOTER ABLE TO COME

AND CAST THEIR IN WHATEVER

METHOD THEY CHOOSE.

>> LET'S HOPE IT CONTINUES TO

BE A SMOOTH PROCESS. THIS

ELECTION SEASON. KAREN BRINSON

BELL WITH THE STATE BOARD OF