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Board of Elections provides snapshot of state voters

INTRO – On National Voter Registration Day yesterday, the state Board of Elections provided a snapshot of the state’selectorate. George Olsen has more.

A press release from the state Board of Elections says the number of people on voter rolls has grown by nearly 1.5 million over the last decade to over 6.5 million people … about 9-out-of-10 eligible North Carolinians.  About 42% are registered as Democrats, 31% Republican and 27% unaffiliated. Almost one-third of registered voters reside in five of the state’s 100 counties. And about 54% of the electorate are women. The state Board of Electionsadded in their press release they have heard of groups informing voters of database problems requiring they re-register. The state Board says there has been no such problem. I’m George Olsen.

George Olsen is a 1977 Havelock High School graduate. He received his B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the University of South Carolina in 1982 where he got his first taste of non-commercial radio working for their student station WUSC. After graduation he worked about five years in commercial radio before coming to work at Public Radio East where he has remained since outside of a nearly 3-year stint as jazz and operations coordinator at WUAL in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in the early 1990s. On his return to eastern North Carolina he hosted classical music for Public Radio East before moving into the Morning Edition host position and now can be heard on All Things Considered. He also hosts and produces The Sound, five hours of Americana, Roots Rock and Contemporary Folk weekday evenings on PRE Public Radio East News & Ideas, and is a news and feature producer for Public Radio East.