Young people ready to cast first ballots
Wednesday, February 27th, 2008
By Staff
North Carolina counties register throngs of new voters
RALEIGH - North Carolina election workers are bracing for a wave of new voters — many of them young people casting their first ballots — who may inundate polling places during the May 6 primary.
"We are going to be registering new folks the likes of which we have never seen before," said state elections director Gary Bartlett. "I've not seen this level starting out of the gate."
Bartlett recently cautioned county election workers that they need to be ready for a turnout that could top 50 percent if the Democratic presidential contest between Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is still alive when North Carolina holds its primary. North Carolina typically sees a top turnout of about 30 percent in primaries.
State voter registration is going up among all demographic groups. But the increase has been especially marked among blacks, Democrats and unaffiliated voters.
Among the vanguard is Morgan Bowles, an 18-year-old Apex High School senior, who recently registered so she can vote for Obama. She has discussed current events in class and watched the debates at home. (more…)
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