People interviewed after voting at Morehead Planetarium on Tuesday said they had no trouble understanding how to vote a straight party ticket" but that it could be confusing nonetheless.
Some voters received ballot instructions while others had to request them.
The straight party voting option has raised concerns about voter disenfranchisement because of confusion with the N.C. ballot.
""Generally the confusion comes from voters about what it means to vote on the straight party ticket"" said Jenn Frye, associate director of Democracy North Carolina, a nonpartisan election watchdog group.
Straight party voting allows voters to cast a ballot for candidates along their party lines with three choices: Democratic, Republican, or Libertarian.
That option doesn't include the U.S. president and vice president, unaffiliated candidates, nonpartisan offices or issues.
However, those exceptions are not prominently noted — they are the last item listed in the straight party voting explanation on the ballot.
N.C.'s ballot is believed to be a cause of undervoting, when voters don't vote for president but vote for other races.
Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina, said that 51,492 N.C. voters did not cast a vote for president in 2004, suggesting that confusion about straight party voting led to partisan votes that neglected the presidential office.
The decision to have a straight party voting option distinct from presidential voting was made by N.C. Democrats in the 1960s.
Both the N.C. State Board of Elections and Democracy North Carolina are working to resolve straight party voting confusion, especially when it comes to voting in a presidential election.
Sophomore Erica Young, who voted for the first time ever Tuesday at the Morehead Planetarium, said that even though she didn't have any difficulty understanding the ballot, people could easily misunderstand voting procedures if they weren't explained properly.
It is confusing having the president separate from the rest of the ballot"" Young said.
The state board mandated this year that instructions on how to vote be passed out at the polls.
Other organizations took initiative to create their own voter guides.
Ann DeMaine, from the Orange County Democratic Party, stands outside the Morehead Planetarium handing out a sample ballot with the group's preferences.
We also have voter guides for people who want to study up on their candidates" she said.
Frye said that other counties could have more problems with voting.
The question is whether voting is being explained well in other counties" said Frye.
Democracy North Carolina has made a statewide voter guide, and the group is taking calls from voters who encounter voting problems to help answer questions.
UNC Center for Civil Rights and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law will operate a hotline Nov. 4 for voters to report perceived disenfranchisement.
Some positive measures are being taken by state and local elections officials" Hall said.
But with about 20000 elections officials working the polls and more than 4 million voters expected this year" we're going to have some human error.""
Click here for a sample ballot
Contact the State & National Editor stntdesk@unc.edu.
