State Board of Elections Executive Director Gary Bartlett said Monday he expected about 69 percent of the more than 6.6 million registered voters would cast ballots in the election cycle that ends Tuesday.

Four years ago, 69.53 percent -- rounded up to 70 percent -- of those registered cast ballots during early voting, by traditionally absentee ballots or on Election Day. That was a record for recent North Carolina electoral history.

More than 2.55 million people voted in person during the 2{-week early voting period that ended Saturday. So far, about 41 percent of the state's registered voters have cast votes, short of the 42 percent in 2008.

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