One-stop early voting starts today throughout N.C.

Election Day is more like two weeks in North Carolina. Early voting starts today, but increased interest in the presidential race may still mean some folks will have to wait in line to cast their ballots.

Gary Bartlett, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said talk of record numbers of voter registrations is definitely true in North Carolina.

"In 2004 - which was the largest in our history - we had just under 700,000 new registrations," he said. "I would say by the time we finish the process this year we'll have somewhere between 800,000 to 850,000 new registrations."

As of Wednesday, a total of 6,128,694 voters were registered in North Carolina - 2,788,692 Democratic, 1,977,089 Republican, 1,360,429 unaffiliated and 2,484 Libertarian.

In 2004, there was a total of 5,519,992 registered voters in the state.

One-stop early voting is being held statewide through Nov. 1, generally during regular business hours at local board of elections offices and until 1 p.m. Nov. 1, a Saturday. Some counties offer additional locations and hours.

When early voting was first offered in North Carolina in the mid-1980s, voters needed to have an excuse, such as a medical problem or religious reason, Bartlett said. In 2000, legislation sponsored by Asheville Democratic Rep. Martin Nesbitt, now a state senator, created "no excuses" early voting.

"He said, 'This is to keep the voters from having to lie about it,' " Bartlett recalled.

One-stop voting allows people to register and vote at a one-stop site until Nov. 1.

Mailed ballots and one-stop early voting accounted for 31 percent of the turnout in 2004, Bartlett said. This year, he said, it will probab ly represent 35 percent or more.

But considering the volatility in this campaign season, few are quite as sure about what to predict.

"We're expecting a good voter turnout," said Mary Etheridge, director of the Currituck County Board of Elections. "When people come in, we'll process them as quickly as possible, and hopefully there won't be lines."

In addition to state and national contests, Currituck has five contested local races. Registration numbers have gone "up a little bit," Etheridge said, and there have also been more requests than usual for absentee ballots.

Although presidential elections are always more of a voter draw, she said, this year there will be five workstations provided to check in the voters, compared with two used in 2004.

Eula Forbes, director of the Perquimans County Board of Elections, said her office has also increased equipment and election workers, although she said registrations don't seem to have increased significantly since the primary.

No matter the turnout, early voting will be a blessing for poll workers on Nov. 4.

"It will reduce the numbers of voters on Election Day - that's true," Forbes said.

Catherine Kozak, (252) 441-1711, cate.kozak@pilotonline.com