http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/sto...

Of note:

Of North Carolina's 603,000 new voters this year, 48 percent are Democrats and 21 percent Republicans. Nearly a third are independents.

By comparison, in 2004, Democrats made up 39 percent of new voters and Republicans, 34 percent.

Among the trends:


African Americans, who make up about 22 percent of the state's population, account for more than 30 percent of new voters.


Five counties – Mecklenburg, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford and Wake – account for more than a third of all new registrations.


Nearly 210,000 new voters are 18 to 24. Only one in five registered Republican.

New registrations appear to be one reason Obama has moved into a virtual tie with McCain in recent N.C. polls.