Early tallies show black voters turning out in huge numbers in North Carolina

What BBN said about it

1. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIn North Carolina, more than two hundred seventy-nine thousand Black voters have already cast early ballots, and that's well ahead of the last two midterms.

2. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorOkay, so for somebody who just woke up: is that a lot, and who's it good for?

3. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIt's a lot. The Washington Examiner says the same point in twenty twenty-two and twenty eighteen was roughly one hundred seventy thousand.

4. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorOne hundred seventy to two hundred eighty. That's a line out the door.

5. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe State Board of Elections data, reported by The Assembly, has Black early turnout up seventy percent over twenty twenty-two.

6. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWhite turnout is up twenty-four percent.

7. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSeventy.

8. 

   Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorWhy does this one state matter so much right now? I'm just a guy trying to follow a map.

9. 

   Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBecause of the map. North Carolina redrew its congressional lines in twenty twenty-five to create an extra Republican-leaning seat, according to the Examiner.

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    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo the people drawing the district picked the voters, and now the voters are picking the days they show up.

11. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIn the new First District, Differentiator Data's tracker says Black voters are about forty-one percent of the early electorate. In twenty twenty-two it was thirty-three.

12. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorWho's affected here, besides the candidates? Is it everybody in the state?

13. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEverybody.

14. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorStatewide early turnout is up more than thirty-eight percent from the same point in twenty twenty-two, with over seven hundred thirty-three thousand ballots cast as of Monday evening.

15. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSeven hundred thousand people already done. Some of us haven't returned a casserole dish.

16. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorYahoo News reports registered Democrats went from about nine point five percent early turnout to twelve point eight.

17. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorRepublicans slipped from eight point seven to eight point six.

18. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo Democrats are smiling. What do Republicans say?

19. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorEarly voting is not the whole vote, and that's fair. A lot of people still vote on Election Day.

20. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorAnd the Democrats?

21. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorCooper said you can look at the data and say, quote, holy cow, turnout's way up.

22. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThen he cautioned that more people and registered voters live in the state now.

23. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo even the good news came with a footnote. That's the most honest campaign I've ever seen.

24. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWhat to watch is whether the pace holds through the rest of early voting, and whether the First District's number moves again.

25. 

    Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorSo one sentence: more people voted early, and a lot of them live where the lines moved.

26. 

    Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorTwo hundred seventy-nine thousand people showed up early, and the only one who looks surprised is the map.