Early voting in NC outpaces 2008 turnout
Source: WRAL
RALEIGH, N.C. Early voting in North Carolina got off to a fast start Thursday, surpassing 2008's first-day vote count of 117,372.
State Board of Elections Director Gary Bartlett said they won't have exact numbers for Thursday's turnout until Friday morning, but throngs of people swamped one-stop voting locations statewide and waited for up to an hour to cast ballots.
snip....
All eight early-voting sites open in Wake County on Thursday saw heavy traffic, Poucher said. Eight more will open next week, and she said she doesn't expect much of a slowdown.
snip....
Both the Democratic and Republican parties have been pushing early voting to build momentum for their candidates in the final weeks of the campaign. First lady Michelle Obama called on students to vote early during a Tuesday visit to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and leaders of both parties stopped in the state Thursday.
Read more: http://www.wral.com/throngs-swamp-early-voting-sites-in-nc/11673771/
Usually high turnout is good for Democrats, so let's hope the high first day totals is a good sign!
DemKittyNC
(743 posts)and lines were out the door and I do not like classifying people but most in line were African-American which I was proud to see. Most I was able to see were wearing Obama baseball caps and pins. It was wonderful!
I just wanted to add that I was to young to vote last election but I still went to early voting with my mother and I sure didn't see lines out the door like I did today. I think this is a great sign! Plus they had a rally today at the coliseum where Vets were getting people to vote early which is also great news.
TrollBuster9090
(5,954 posts)about how you 'can't trust the polls (that said Obama was ahead) because they're "based on a 2008 turnout model" and we don't expect the same number of African Americans and young people to turn out this time.'
That's right, assclown. After two solid years of Republican state governments trying to suppress the African American vote, MORE of them are going to turn out. Thank you, Republicans, for doing such a good job of motivating the Democratic Party base!
politicaljack78
(312 posts)I think the Republican Party is underestimating the power of the minority vote and the ability of Democrats to lookout for each other and get out the vote. We're gonna succeed because we believe in each other and all us are working for a better, prosperous, equal future.
SaveAmerica
(5,342 posts)wanted to say hey! DU's alright!!
DemKittyNC
(743 posts)It is great to be here, a home away from home!
Oh and no problem freshwest I was happy to be able to tell that story today. It made me feel so great to see the lines. I can't wait to go vote. I am just really scared to vote early. I just have this thing in the back of my mind where if I did then the GOP and Repugs have more time to mess with the votes or something then they do on Nov 6th. I can't shake that feeling. It is a shame people have to feel like that in this country thanks to the cheating bastards brought to you by the GOP.
SaveAmerica
(5,342 posts)I feel very confident when I vote because NC went through serious legislation several years back to rid the state of the sketchy voting machines.
In our county we vote on a paper ballot and it's fed into a machine to be counted. So if there are any questions that ballot can be accessed for counting if needed. Go ahead and vote early!
http://www.ncsbe.gov/
RBInMaine
(13,570 posts)freshwest
(53,661 posts)This sounds very good... It would be beautiful to carry NC and VA!
bathroommonkey76
(3,827 posts)I plan on voting this weekend in Lillington. My parents (two diehard Dems) are also going to their polling place on Saturday to cast early votes for the Dems.
I have noticed an uptick in voter enthusiasm at the community college I attend. Several of my African American acquaintances have told me that their churches are planning to head to the polls in the next couple of weeks.
Personally, I hope the polling around these parts is not accurate. I do not want to see McCrory and the rest of the state house end up in the GOP's hands. Redistricting has pretty much guaranteed a Republican controlled House and Senate here. It's going to be unfortunate for the middle class and poor people in the Tar Heel state if these clowns are voted into office. I can already see them trying to pass voter id laws, and other right-wing bills for 2014 & 2016.
Obama/Biden 2012
oswaldactedalone
(3,491 posts)the minority and student vote in NC won't match '08. With all the social media around these days I can't understand why there isn't as much excitement as last time. The only thing I can come up with is that Bush isn't around and emotions aren't as high as they were in '08 to punish the Repigs.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Look at what's been happening with early voting, and fundraising; September's total was a record, for Pete's sakes!
If the crooks in the GOP are going to fuck with the vote counting this year, it'd be the perfect excuse as to why Obama only comes out with around 280 or so EVs instead of 350-360.
marions ghost
(19,841 posts)movonne
(9,623 posts)report they are heading for Ohio...I hope that is horse crap...
Actually it might be good - a lot can happen in three weeks
TrollBuster9090
(5,954 posts)going to literally flood the country with negative ads during the last two weeks of the campaign will more than make up the difference. Who needs a ground operation when your plutocrat friends can just carpet bomb the airwaves with propaganda.
thatsrightimirish
(1,391 posts)If Romney loses North Carolina it is highly unlikely he would win Ohio on the same night.
wildeyed
(11,243 posts)They need all hands on deck in OH. Who knows what their internals look like for NC? I haven't even looked too hard at the polling. I do know that OFA has increased the voter registration in this state by like 1.5 points. If they can turn them out, who knows what will happen.
bluemarkers
(536 posts)so confident of a win here. blech
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/10/18/2421365/romney-campaign-feeling-confident.html
I think what's happened here is the local "machine" totally trashed Perdue over four years, and down went a lot of local races, building momentum for the slime ball....
oh my goodness, we have a fairly bright population, and if the teabillies try to turn us into Mississippi, the Democrats had better wake up and kick some tail.
wildeyed
(11,243 posts)I played around with the EC map for a bit and they really do need to win that state to win at all. Perhaps they think NC is a better bet and are hoping for the best based on internal polling..... I don't really know. My part of the state is urban and blue. The Obama campaign is extremely organized. Personally, I have been putting in MORE volunteer time than 2008. The voters I canvass have seemed determined. There may not be the joy from last election, but people are on board and planning to turn out to vote. My only negative observation is that my immediate neighborhood is mostly Romney signs. Last go round there was a more even split. So we shall see.....
SaveAmerica
(5,342 posts)Romney has pac money to throw on signs and bumper stickers, I don't think O's campaign is focusing there. They're putting money in mailers with voting info and GOTV.
bluemarkers
(536 posts)We plan on voting early - depending on work schedules - we like to go together.
I'm so tired of the ads, I wonder, what is the point of diminishing return on these things!? Keep the staff, take the ads!
John2
(2,730 posts)Look at the North Carolina numbers. Those mail in ballots mean very little. The numbers from early voting today mean a lot. Look at the present registration numbers on the Democratic side. The Democrats have an 800,000 registration lead on the Republicans and it is increasing by the day. Voters can also register on site. The Republicans would need a lot of unafiliated votes just to make up that deficit. what the Dems need to do is get their voters to the Polls. If they get above 70 percent or more, Romney is toast. A lot of Democrats still didn't vote in 2008 or Obama could have won by a larger margin in North Carolina. So if he is keeping people in North Carolina, it is to get people out to the Polls. There is no way Romney can keep up. he doesn't have enough registered voters on the rolls.
Wake County is a Democratic stronghold. Here is the registration in Wake County:
Dems Repubs Blacks
260,811 187,999 134,851
2008
252,985 184,318 120,519
That is the difference between 2012 and 2008 on November six. Note the increase in African American registration. That is over 14,000 more votes in just that one county. So if the lines were heavy in Wake County, that is a good sign. I heard the lines were long in Mecklenberg County also which is around Charlotte. That is even a heavier Democratic vote.
bluemarkers
(536 posts)That is a huge increase. Obama only won overall by about 8,000 ( i think) so that is significant.
one very bad thing though, my son is in school in the eastern part of the state.... he said he is shocked by the number of racists who flat out state they will not vote for Obama because of his skin color. Only they don't say it that way.
otoh, there are probably more voters in Wake than in 5 down east counties.... I might have to look that up.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)Obama is taking PA and OH. His GOTV machine could take NC too.
DCBob
(24,689 posts)if its true its psyops.
dsc
(52,163 posts)at my place. Waited in line for about 20 minutes give or take. I live on the east side of raleigh and this was a very Democratic crowd.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)dsc
(52,163 posts)since I voted much later (a week) last year. I also voted at what would have been a more bipartisan polling place last time.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)Populist_Prole
(5,364 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)bigdarryl
(13,190 posts)We don't want to get duped like we did in Wisconsin when we thought the high turnout favored us we found out the other side is the ones that GOTV
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Has the recount been finished, btw? or is it still in progress?
wildeyed
(11,243 posts)And it could be that Repubs are getting serious about the early voting here after getting their asses handed to them in 08.
But ultimately, there are more of us then there are of them and we have the better turnout machine. So early voting gives us longer to entice them to the polls. And where I voted today looked really good. I usually vote at this site, so I have a good read on it. During the primary this year we had a ballot initiative to add a gay marriage ban to the state constitution. And I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I went to vote because it was all old conservative looking people. I kinda knew the ban was going to go down then. Today it was mostly Black and younger whites in a big long line. So not very scientific, and I can't say that NC will be blue this year. But all the signs look good to me. :crossesfingers:
FamilyMan
(31 posts)Remember to not be afraid to make sure friends vote as well