April 15, 2008 - Since the first of the year, 144,774 new voters have signed up in North Carolina. The 2.6 percent increase in registered voters has come as two top positions -- president and governor -- are being vacated by second-term incumbents with no obvious political heir.

The State Board of Elections calculated the new numbers over the weekend, including residents who filed by Friday's deadline for traditional registration. Still, North Carolinians can register and vote at one-stop sites from Thursday through May 3. Slightly more than half of the new voters are Democrats. By Ryan Teague Beckwith, Bill Kreuger and Dane Kane

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