NC smashing records for early voting

[Thrill]

N.C. breaks records with 6.4% of voters done; some wait up to 2 hours to cast ballots

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/news/special_packages/election2004/10015417.htm?1c

[NMDemDist2]

1. would you paste a few paragraphs? I hate signing into all these

silly papers

thanks

[Thrill]

2. here you go

Lines kept growing Monday as North Carolina smashed records for early voting.

More than 350,000 people, or 6.4 percent of the state's registered voters, had cast early ballots as of Monday, with four more days of early one-stop voting left.

On Monday, the wait averaged an hour in Mecklenburg and topped two hours in Gaston County. Early voters in Union and Cabarrus counties were waiting 30 to 40 minutes Monday, officials there said.

"It appears there will be in excess of half a million people voting" when early balloting ends Saturday, said Don Wright, general counsel for the N.C. Board of Elections. That compares with 350,000 early voters in the 2000 presidential election.

Sunday voting, offered in Mecklenburg, Wake and Durham counties, helped swell the total, drawing "great response" in all three, Wright said.

South Carolina is one of 16 states without "no excuses" early voting. S.C. residents can vote absentee for a number of reasons, including military service, disability, and vacations or jobs that will keep them from the polls on Election Day.

But N.C. voters need no special reason to take the early option.

N.C. election officials hope the surge will ease the pressure Nov. 2. "It means there's half a million fewer people that will be waiting in lines," Wright said.

[RinaJ]

3. Those are all black people voting for Bush.

:evilgrin:

[mom cat]

7. You have been listening to the tooth fairy again

:evilgrin: Welcome to DU dude-or-dudette! :hi: Just what we needed...someone else with an off the wall sence of humor. :bounce:

[karlrschneider]

10. Giggle........good one. Welcome to DU

:toast:

[asjr]

4. Any word on Buncombe Co.?

[oddtext]

5. voted here today

i had to wait about a half an hour. i think the elections board wasn't expecting so many people. there was a line outside the door prior to voting at 830 of more than 5 as well. they then streamed in at 830.

[asjr]

8. Thanks for the update.

[G_j]

14. voted in Buncombe Saturday

about a half an hour wait.
I think it has been pretty steady all week.

[Gothmog]

6. Great news. I heard that North Carolina may be in play

It sounds like North Carolina is in play. This is great news. It goes without saying that if Kerry/Edwards win in North Carolina then they will win the election.

[BDawg]

9. Lines, lines, lines

Evertime I walk by the government center in Forsyth County (Winston-Salem), the line waiting to vote is *huge*.

I'm going to try and vote in Guilford County (Greensboro, High Point) either Thursday or Friday after work. I'm afraid I may not make it to class if I have to vote next Tuesday.

[PeacefulWarrior]

11. "Caging"

FYI: This is caging. It is a term of art in the direct mail world.

<a href=http://www.malwarwick.com/direct22.html>caging</a>

[gratuitous]

12. High turnout = bad news for Republicans

It's almost an absolute maxim. The higher the turnout, the less impact the little constituencies the Republicans count on will have. That's why voter suppression efforts are their main political weapon, whether it's disqualifying voters or depressing turnout by convincing people that voting is too complicated or cumbersome.

NC is probably a Bush-leaning state, but a high turnout could put it in play. This is good news!

[LiberalFighter]

13. NC has not had one of their own as Prez right??

They may think that Kerry/Edwards winning would put Edwards in that position. I am sure that any state would like to have a favorite son as Prez.

[ncteechur]

15. James K. Polk

[ncteechur]

16. and Andrew Johnson.