Intellectual Property Law

It's easy to forget the special significance that Barack Obama's presidential run has in many voters' minds, given the length of the 2008 presidential campaign.

But this YouTube video from an African-American voter in North Carolina  is a reminder that for many, Obama's candidacy is emblematic of a hopeful new open-mindedness in American politics.

"I have a child who will be two-years old this December," says "mrsjdaniels" to the camera. "I want for her to grow up in a country that accepts her for who she is, where she can be whoever she wants to be and can actually see those examples."

This video is one of hundreds that voters from all over the country have uploaded to YouTube so far to share their voting experiences. Many of them, especially ones from Georgia and Florida, show long lines at the polls. This one shows an amazingly hearty  96-year-old African-American voter sharing her voting experience in Columbus, Ohio, a historic moment if there ever was one.

In North Carolina, where "mrsjdaniels" voted, more than 40 percent of registered voters, or 2.6 million people, participated in early voting. Twenty-six percent of those 2.6 million people were African Americans. (African-Americans make up 21 percent of the population overall in North Carolina, according this to AP report.)

So far, the early turnout has benefitted the Democrats. According to Reed College's Early Voting Information Center blog, this is a good thing for the Obama campaign:

... a large chunk of the Democratic base has now turned out in swing states like Nevada, Florida, and North Carolina?and the same cannot be said for Republicans. While the McCain campaign will be forced to spend a large part of the last few days ensuring that its base turns out in sufficient numbers, the Obama team will be able to focus its efforts on persuading and turning out valuable swing voters.

Reminder: If you experience a voting problem, please report it on our map.