• Early voting totals are in! More than 1.1 million North Carolinians have cast ballots either at early voting sites or by mail, a higher number of votes cast than the 960,000 cast early in 2010 (and a higher turnout level — 17 percent vs. 15.5 percent), though much lower than the nearly 2.8 million early votes tallied in 2012. Roughly 20 percent of unaffiliated voters cast ballots early, a much higher percentage than the typical midterm election. Both parties report being happy with the results.
• As former President Bill Clinton spent Friday in Raleigh rallying voters for incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice issued a statement supporting Hagan’s GOP opponent Thom Tillis.
• The news story (Web cache version) that was posted Saturday on the websites of The Charlotte Observer and WBTV and then removed, discussing a state-level review of a stimulus grant received by Hagan family members, set social media abuzz. CJ’s report on the state review is here. Monday, New York University media maven Jay Rosen weighed in on Twitter, demanding an explanation. Stay tuned to see if the local mainstream media obliges.
• The polls will open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7:30 p.m. Do your duty.
• Your humble correspondent will be doing election results and analysis on a statewide network of radio stations Tuesday from 8 p.m. until midnight. The flagship station is WPTF 680AM in Raleigh (listen online here). Host Donna Martinez and The Carolinian’s Cash Michaels and I also will be on local affiliates in a number of markets. Check this space for a full listing either later today or first thing Tuesday. Tune in!
