2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumNC Early Voting Day 3: Epic Turnout - 42,709 "Unlikely" Voters Have Already Voted
From a Daily Kos diary:
Since yesterday's update, we found some missing voters, thanks to commenter dean4ever. Not all counties always manage to update their early vote numbers in time for the statewide update, so some votes will keep trickling in from previous days. Taking these voters into account, Obama is doing better than previously thought. For example, my previous diary said that Day 1 turnout was 156,129 votes. But now, with the late updating counties included, we are up to 171,055. Because of the late updating counties problem, these diaries will tend to underestimate actual turnout to some degree, for the most recent days.
Click on the picture below for a full sized chart.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/21/1147522/-NC-Early-Voting-Day-3-Epic-Turnout-42-709-Unlikely-Voters-Have-Already-Voted
Turnout so far in 2012 early voting can only be described as epic. Yesterday's diary reported that turnout was up 26.6% above 2008. Now with updated data, turnout is 36.6% above 2008. And that number will only go up even further if there are still some counties lagging behind.
Overall, Obama appears to be building up an early vote margin right in line with the early vote margin he built up in 2008. In fact, Saturday was even better than the same Saturday in 2008. But because early turnout is higher, it could be harder for Romney to make up the difference on election day than it was for McCain in 2008, because there may not be as many Romney voters left over for election day. More of the Obama early voters are new voters who would not be able to vote on election day if they did not vote right now, whereas most of the Romney early voters would otherwise just vote on election day.
In sum, 2008 is happening again in North Carolina, only the turnout is even higher.
More on that later; now let's take a look at those 42,709 new voters.
42,709 Unlikely Voters... who have voted...
North Carolina's One Stop Early Voting law allows people to register to vote and to cast their ballots early, all at the same time, all in one stop.
Yesterday, I speculated that more of those Minorities and White Democrats who are voting right now are newly registered voters - they are "unlikely voters" who do not pass a telephone poll's registered voter screen, much less a likely voter screen. At the same time, I speculated that more of the White Republicans who are voting early are people who normally vote, but vote on election day.
But I didn't have any evidence to back this up, because new voter registration statistics had not been released.
Well, new voter registration statistics have been released, and so now we have the evidence to back up that speculation. This is an over-generalization, but broadly Obama is indeed turning out new voters, whereas Romney is turning out the same old voters.
In total, 324,780 people voted in One-Stop Early Voting on Thursday and Friday. Of those, 42,709 were brand new previously unregistered voters. They did not pass any poll's "likely voter" screen, nor did they even pass any poll's registered voter screen. And yet, they voted. And it is clear that they voted overwhelmingly for Obama (probably by about 2 to 1).
Here's who those 42,709 brand new voters are:
Party Registration:
Democrats - 20,792 (48.7%)
Republicans - 8,699 (20.4%)
Libertarians - 604 (1.4%)
Unaffiliated - 12,614 (29.5%)
Race:
White - 19,041 (44.6%)
Black - 13,470 (31.5%)
American Indian - 510 (1.2%)
Hispanic - 2,706 (6.3%)
Other - 9,688 (22.7%)
Gender:
Male - 19,077 (47.0%)
Female - 20,055 (53.0%)
Total - 42,709 (100%)
Now why is this significant, you ask?...
(click the above link and you'll see all kinds of good looking blue charts and more of this report)
craigmatic
(4,510 posts)obamanut2012
(26,137 posts)I'm guessing by 1-3%.
There isn't a state-level race that will energize the GOP base, because, alas, Walter Dalton doesn't have a chance in hell of beating Pat McRomney for Governor.
tarheelsunc
(2,117 posts)I've been thinking all along he's nothing more than an Irish Mitt Romney. Couldn't stand the guy in 2008, can't stand him now.
obamanut2012
(26,137 posts)Even with all her imperfections, I really wish Bev was running again. I really do.
McRomney also refuses to release his tax returns, remember.
LisaL
(44,974 posts)underthematrix
(5,811 posts)Doesn't PBO need to get have those people to swing his way? Oh and the Dem numbers make me very happy
WI_DEM
(33,497 posts)with them.
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)socialist_n_TN
(11,481 posts)Wasn't there an "Epic Turnout" in Wisconsin during the recall election too? Just because there's a big turnout, doesn't mean they won't try to steal the election. They can just say that the turnout was all Republican. Or anti-Obama.
NCarolinawoman
(2,825 posts)As well as the Governor. That helps immensely.
Tigress DEM
(7,887 posts)THAT is why so many DEMs have been encouraged to vote early to get around the normal fraud routes. Especially if you go in person and make sure that your ballot is accepted, it's a done deal, can't be undone.
Maximumnegro
(1,134 posts)just make up any election analogy you want. That's what the media is for.
Historic NY
(37,453 posts)brewens
(13,620 posts)and do it! All that voter suppression may be backfiring. Sure you might block some of the people we had counted on in the past, but how many minorities that had their ID's already but never voted, are now turning out?
John2
(2,730 posts)North Carolina might be the biggest shock of the Election. Everybody has it penciled for Romney. Everybody where I stay haven't voted yet but will be. I intend to vote tomorrow.
Lex
(34,108 posts)so EVERY VOTE counts!
ncav53
(168 posts)julian09
(1,435 posts)TalkingDog
(9,001 posts)YES!
WI_DEM
(33,497 posts)desertduck
(213 posts)we will take 2012 in a big way. i think many people will be surprised how blue this country goes.