Early voting opens in critical North Carolina

A sign directs people where to vote during early voting at the Wood County Court House October 2, 2012 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Early voting began October 2 in the battleground state of Ohio, five weeks before election day on November 6. / J.D. Pooley/Getty Images

Even though Election Day is still 19 days away, voters in North Carolina today join voters in 19 other states already able to cast their ballots, allowing the state's 6.5 million registered voters to vote even before the final presidential debate takes place.

President Obama beat John McCain in North Carolina in 2008 by fewer than 14,000 votes, and early voting is thought to have helped Mr. Obama, who received 56 percent of early voters (early voting made up 61 percent of North Carolina's votes in 2008).

It's a practice becoming more popular each election year. In 2008, one-third of voters nationwide cast their ballots early - a figure expected to rise this election.

North Carolina joins Iowa and Ohio, two other swing states that have early voting. As of Thursday morning, in Iowa, Democrats made up 49 percent of early voters and Republicans cast 30 percent of early ballots, according to the United States Elections Project out of George Mason University. Though that doesn't necessarily mean the president is leading Iowa's early vote as the votes aren't actually counted until Election Day. Nevada is the next battleground to open its polls, which happens Saturday.

Both Mitt Romney and President Obama's campaigns are running extensive get-out-the-early-vote efforts. First Lady Michelle Obama visited North Carolina Tuesday and the Obama campaign's "gottavote" election bus has spent the last few days there to encourage people to vote early.

Meantime, on behalf of Romney, former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum and Republican National Committee chair Reince Priebus host a series of "Commit to Mitt" events throughout the state Thursday.

[NCWorker]

America must be strong economically first & foremost. NC is so far in debt & yet keeps adding taxes to pay for the many who continue to access Medicaid, Food Stamps & Welfare. Gov. Perdue & Lt. Gov. Dalton threw the state employees under the bus by reducing their benefits, increasing their costs for health insurance, eliminating cost of living increases just to name a few. Additionally, it is my understanding that, Dalton, has supported tax increases (income taxes & sales taxes) since 2001 for a total of 7.4 billion dollars & has earned the nickname "8 Billion Dollar Man" - yet unemployment in NC in August was at a whopping 9.7% with a projected rate of 9.6% for September, 2012. In January, 2008, the unemployment rate in NC was 5.1% (Bureau of Labor Statistics), With statistics such as these, our family is certainly hoping that NC is important to this election & we are asking our fellow North Carolinians to bring in Pat McCrory (R) as our Govenor in hopes of getting away from Dalton's tax increase habits. We wanted change in 2008, but not for the worse. Obama asked for the opportunity to make some changes, guaranteed to make changes & promised to do this in ONE TERM. Now he is asking for us to vote for more of the same?? He makes a statement that the "middle class is doing fine" then follows up with "it's obvious that the economy is on the road to recovery." What???!!!! Repeating the same behavior will NOT produce different results, Our family can no longer afford your "change. Whomever is elected, we will support & pray for as good Americans are to do. But, NC is important to our family. We pray it is important to our politicians. Be blessed.

[formerlyluvnut]

formerlyluvnut says: "Critical" N Carolina??? North Carolina's voters mean NOTHING! The entire state could vote OR just stay home; it means NOTHING what those po-dunks think. The entire south for that matter; the rest of the country elects the President with or without the backwards, racist, bobble thumping yo-yo's of the south. reply Conjob123 replies: linkicon reporticon emailicon Your crude language alone explains what a loser you must be.

I just read a government report that showed total state and federal spending for welfare $1 Trillion dollars in 2011. Is this the hope and change Obama was promising you?

Why can't you admit he is over his head spending our money.
Obama lied in front of the entire country about what happened in Libya on 9/11/12.
Why did he lie? Because he wanted to cover up the requested extra security that was requested after the second attack on that building several months earlier. Imagine, there were 2 prior attacks at the embassy in Libya and Obama did nothing to help these brave people.
Then he has the audacity to say he was there at Andrews Air Force base to console the families of the dead. How shallow. Obama denies them extra security but has time to greet the dead.
He makes me sick!

Well waaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Can't handle the truth I see lol! Waaaaahhhhhh.

[LSimon3321]

I certainly don't agree that there was any coverup. I do believe that any level-headed leader of a nation needs to make certain that they know that of which they speak before jumping on television yanking his face and your privates. Certainly not attempting to jump into new wars just to prove "we're not scared" or whatever it is we're supposed to be attempting to prove. If America is afraid of the world, America needs to pull all their money and resources (humans included) back in and isolate itself. If it thinks it can make it without cooperating with anyone, including those that we think we don't like because they force us to come to the big table as adults, we need to stay home and play with our own toys. We seem unable to handle the problems in our own sandbox.

[formerlyluvnut]

"Critical" N Carolina??? North Carolina's voters mean NOTHING! The entire state could vote OR just stay home; it means NOTHING what those po-dunks think. The entire south for that matter; the rest of the country elects the President with or without the backwards, racist, bobble thumping yo-yo's of the south.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Republicans in congress, senate and state government have practiced terrorism on America by refusing/blocking legislation to help struggling Americans. While republicans in state government praticed more sedition/unamerican actions to take voting rights from qualified voters.

Botton line, republicans do not use public office to help ordinary Americans and cannot be trusted to suddenly start to do so. Therefore, voters cannot enable them with votes and expect things to improve.

[formerlyluvnut]

There is way too much attention and emphasis on N Carolina. Why? I don't know. N Carolina means NOTHING.

[LSimon3321]

I agree. It's insanity to do the same thing and expect different results.