RALEIGH - North Carolina's new and relaxed voting guidelines kicked in today, allowing voters to register and cast ballots at the same time.

State elections officials expect overall turnout to jump by 5.4 percent, and more than 10 percent for the youngest voters now that restrictions have been dropped.

Early voting in local elections started at 8:30 a.m., allowing North Carolina voters to register and vote in a single trip for the first time.

In the Triangle, early voting periods began today in Wake and Durham counties. For other counties, early voting will begin in October.

Those who choose to register and vote during the early period use an absentee ballot. Those ballots can be disqualified if a voter's identity, checked through drivers' licenses and Social Security numbers, proves to be false.

That level of security is impossible on Election Day itself, when voting is much heavier.

"This is a great balance," said State Elections Director Gary Bartlett. "It gives that last-minute voter a chance."

The new rules last until three days before the election. On Election Day, voters will need to have registered in advance.

Polls were open in Raleigh and Cary on Thursday. By 10:45 a.m., seven people had voted in Raleigh.

"This is a major step," said Bill Page, the seventh person to vote in Wake and a Wake County Democratic Party official. "It could eventually put us beyond (an extra 5.4 percent), but I'm not sure about this time. The word is not out yet."