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Here are some of the other stories catching our attention.

NC Early Voting Turnout On Pace To Beat 2010 Despite Fewer Days

www.ncsbe.org

Turnout for early voting in North Carolina is on pace to exceed totals from the last midterm election even though the early voting period is seven days shorter.

Republican state lawmakers reduced the early voting period from 17 days to 10 days as part of an election overhaul they passed last year. But most counties are still required to offer the same total hours of early voting as they did during the last midterm election.

Mecklenburg County is making up for the lost days by opening six more sites this year.

"We've already matched the seven days that were cut out as of yesterday for early voting in this state, so there are a lot of people that do come out to vote," said Michael Dickerson, Mecklenburg County director of elections. He was part of an NPR panel on voting Tuesday night in Charlotte.

Dickerson pointed out that North Carolinians can no longer register and vote on the same day during early voting and ballots cast in the wrong precinct will no longer be counted. Those changes are also part of the election overhaul.

The U.S. Justice Department is challenging that and other parts of the overhaul. A full trial is scheduled for this summer.