NC early voting surpasses 1 million ballots

ASHEVILLE — More than 1 million people have now cast a ballot in North Carolina’s early voting, surpassing the total number who voted at one-stop sites four years ago.

Data released Sunday by the State Board of Elections shows 1,078,710 have voted. In 2004, the state counted some 984,000 ballots during the full early period.

Early voting started Oct. 16, and counties have been increasing the availability of one-stop sites since then. The early balloting ends Saturday.

The numbers clearly favor Democrats. Of the early voters, 58 percent are registered Democrats. Just 25 percent are registered Republicans.

Elections officials expect that about one-third of North Carolina’s voters will go to the polls early.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)