Early voting records set in state Thursday

The first day of early voting drew record turnouts across the state, election officials said, as more than 100,000 people turned out on Thursday.

The statewide total exceeded the record set the last presidential election by about 40 percent, said Gary Bartlett, executive director of the State Board of Elections.

"We blew it away," Bartlett said Friday, encouraging other voters to take advantage of the early voting period before it ends on Nov. 1.

"Because if not," he added, "It will be a long day on Election Day."

Triangle voters were among those who took advantage of the first day of voting and turned out in droves.

In Durham County, a record-breaking 6,264 ballots were cast. The previous one-day high of 4,476 voters was set on Oct. 29, 2004, during the last presidential election, the Durham County Board of Elections reported. With 16 more days to go before early voting ends , Durham elections board director Michael Ashe said in a news release that he expects Thursday's record to be broken.

In Wake County, 7,917 early voters cast ballots Thursday, and the Wake County Board of Elections already has responded to more than 20,000 requests for absentee ballots.

In Orange County, a record 2,916 early ballots were cast the first day, according to Orange County Board of Elections director Tracy Reams.

Orange County has five one-stop voting locations this year. In the last presidential election, Reams said, Orange County opened the early voting period with only one site, which drew only 264 voters the first day.

Another two sites, which Reams said opened four days later in 2004, drew a combined 1,202 voters their first day.

Reams said she did not anticipate the tide of early voters to slow today.

"I have a feeling we might set another record," she said.