After three days, one-stop early voting is on a record-setting pace for a midterm election, and white Republican men are furiously casting ballots, according to an analysis by Democracy North Carolina. The nonpartisan political watchdog group says the total number of Republicans who voted between Thursday and Saturday still trailed Democrats statewide by about 4,300. Yet, the margin is significantly smaller than the 3-1 ratio Democrats held in 2008.
“Early voting doesn’t favor one party or another, but reveals who’s most organized and enthusiastic about making their voices heard,” Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina, said in a statement.
Two years ago, black Democratic women led all groups in the 17-day early voting period, helping to propel Barack Obama to a surprise victory in North Carolina, the group said.
So far, 72,173 voters have cast early ballots, which more than doubles the number cast after the first three days of early voting in 2006. Two years ago, more than 266,000 voters crowded one-stop centers in the first three days of early voting.
Brunswick County registered the most early votes, and Chatham, Johnston, Wayne and Wilson counties also ranked among the top 10 counties for most early votes through the first weekend.
Early voting continues through 1 p.m. Oct. 30. Counties have different schedules, including multiple locations and evening hours in some cases, and a complete list of sites and hours is available at the State Board of Elections website.
