(RALEIGH) -- State Elections Director Gary Bartlett said more and more people are taking a liking to the idea of not standing in line on election day. The in-person early voting period in North Carolina starts on October 18th.

"Early voting, we set a record in 2008, we had for mail and in-person absentee voting, 2.6 million out of those 4.3 million voters who participated," said Bartlett.

Barlett said the number of voters who participate in early voting increases with each election, especially in presidential election years. Absentee voting my mail is already underway in North Carolina.