The Democratic presidential race drew a lot of reader interest.

Posts on Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton drew the most readers on the Under the Dome blog since April 1, thanks in part to links from Talking Points Memo, The Daily Kos, Andrew Sullivan, Facing South, Isaac Hunter's Tavern, From Fay to Z and Sister Toldjah.

Counting down the Five Most Viewed of Primary '08:

5. Turnout so far: 8 percent: Elections board reports receiving nearly a half million ballots, for 8.4 percent turnout, through absentee and early voting.

4. Elections board hunting robocaller: State Board of Elections looking for people responsible for confusing robocalls about voter registration.

3. More illegal robocalls in Durham? Former N&O reporter receives illegal robocall about mail-in ballots after the state's deadline has passed.

2. Price, Watt to endorse Obama: U.S. Reps. David Price and Mel Watt, both superdelegates, announce their support for Obama in mid-April.

1. Council backs Obama: Cumberland County Commissioner Jeanette Council, a superdelegate, announces her support for Obama on the eve of the May 6 primary.

Gayle King is calling North Carolina voters for Barack Obama.

In a minute-and-a-half long recorded call, the longtime friend of talk-show host Oprah Winfrey encourages North Carolinians to get out to vote.

"This, as you may have heard, is a very, very, very tight race and Barack Obama needs you to get to the polls because every vote matters, so please be sure to take your family and friends along with you today," she says.

She also gives a toll-free number for people who need a ride to the polls and reminds them that they can vote as long as they're in line by 7:30 p.m.

"This message, by the way, is paid for by Obama for America, and I apologize that it's so long, but this is so important to me," she says.

A transcript after the jump.

   Comments (1)

A Durham voter got another odd robocall about voting.

Christina Headrick, a former reporter for the N&O, says she received a misleading call Sunday from a "woman with a professional sounding voice" about mail-in voting.

Here is what the woman said:

"Have you ever wondered how you can vote by mail? From the convenience of your own home? Your vote has never been more important than it is in this critical election year. And this is a great way to ensure your voice is heard. If you would like to vote by mail, please press 1. If not, hang up."

Absentee ballots must have been requested before last Tuesday and returned in the mail by 5 p.m. today. In short, there is no way that it would be helpful for anyone to receive information about mail-in voting yesterday.

She tried to look for a caller ID using *69, but the number was either out of the area or from a restricted caller. It is against state law for robocallers to not identify themselves.

She has notified elections watchdog Democracy North Carolina, which is asking Attorney General Roy Cooper and the State Board of Elections to look into the calls.

Caroline Kennedy is making robocalls for Barack Obama.

The daughter of former president John F. Kennedy is on a minute-long recorded phone call made to North Carolina voters this weekend in advance of tomorrow's primary.

"Once in a generation, there is a candidate with the power to inspire and change America the way my father did," she says. "I believe Sen. Barack Obama is that candidate today."

She then refers voters to a toll-free number and a Web site run by the Obama campaign for more information on the primary.

A transcript after the jump.

   Comments (4)

Gov. Mike Easley is touting the gas-tax holiday on a robocall.

In a 45-second automated call to voters, Easley says Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton "know how to turn this economy around and create new jobs right away."

"She'll start by cutting the gas tax and make big oil pay for it out of the record profits for a change instead of you and me," he says.

A voice at the end of the call says it was paid for by the Clinton campaign and gives a phone number, as required by state law.

After the jump, a transcript.

   Comments (3)

Attorney General Roy Cooper said the "Lamont Williams" calls were illegal.

In a statement, the attorney general said that automated calls from Women's Voices Women Vote that encouraged voters to mail in voter registration forms after the state's deadlines violated state law by failing to disclose who sponsored the call or give contact information.

"Regardless of the motivation, the robo-calls violated the law and they needed to stop," Cooper said in a statement.

The organization told the attorney general's office today that the calls would stop. Cooper's office did not say if the group would face any sanctions for making the calls.

Cooper also urged political parties and campaigns to honor the Do Not Call Registry, although it does not currently cover political robocalls. He encouraged voters with concerns to call the state's telemarketing hotline, 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.

Update: Cooper spokewoman Jennifer Canada said the attorney general's office will continue to investigate the calls before deciding on any sanctions. 

A Washington-based nonprofit is behind the "Lamont Williams" calls.

According to Facing South, a staffer for Women's Voices Women Vote admitted that it was behind recent robocalls that gave misleading information about voter registration.

The State Board of Elections has been looking for the source of the calls.

The nonprofit told the Institute for Southern Studies, which runs the Facing South blog, that the calls were part of a 24-state effort to register unmarried women. But the calls do not mention the group's name, they come from an unlisted number and they are misleading.

The calls tell voters to look for a voter-registration packet in the mail, but they were made after the deadline passed in North Carolina for mail-in registration.

Complaints have been made in Wisconsin, Michigan and Arizona about similarly misleading calls.

"The reports from other states are very disturbing, especially the pattern of mass confusion among targeted voters on the eve of a state's primary," Democracy North Carolina's Bob Hall told Facing South.

"Lamont Williams" also made calls in Ohio.

The bogus robocaller — currently being hunted by the State Board of Elections for giving misinformation to black voters in North Carolina — also made calls in Ohio last year, according to Facing South.

Chris Kromm, executive director of the Institute for Southern Studies, found the connection with help from a reader:

Facing South has learned that these calls -- even down to the name of the supposed caller -- are very similar to calls used last year in Ohio. In November 2007, a voter in Columbus, Ohio wrote in to the Buckeye State Blog with this eerily familiar story:

I just got a weird robo-call that I suspect may be a form of voter suppression, albeit kinda braindead. From memory, a stentorian voice reminiscent of James Earl Jones says: "Hello. This is Lamont Williams. In a few days you should be getting a voter registration form in the mail. Please fill it out and return promptly and you will be able to vote. Thank you.

Update: Voters also received similar calls in Virginia. 

State elections officials are asking for the public's help in identifying the source of misleading and potentially illegal robocalls.

In at least one version of the call, a man says that voter registration packets must be returned before a person can vote. The State Board of Elections released a transcript of the call.

"Hello, this is Lamont Williams. In the next few days, you will receive a voter registration packet in the mail. All you need to do is sign it, date it and return your application. Then you will be able to vote and make your voice heard. Please return the voter registration form when it arrives. Thank you."

Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina, said in a news release that the calls were being made to African American households. The good government watchdog posted audio of the call.

More after the jump.

   Comments (14)

One of Dome's colleagues got a robocall Saturday from Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.

Here's what Perdue said in the recorded message:

"I want you to know that I endorse Barack Obama for president. I've been a lifetime member of the NAACP and Barack Obama and I share a committment for equal opportunity for all Americans. It's such an exciting time. We have a chance to make history in America and right here in North Carolina.

This is Bev Perdue. I'd appreciate your support in my campaign for governor. Thanks so much and have a great day."

David Kochman, a spokesman for the Perdue campaign, said the 30-second calls went to a list of likely voting African American households.

Previously, pollsters at Public Policy Polling said that Perdue's support of Obama may have hurt her in a recent tracking poll. Kochman said that it's unllkely that enough voters knew about her endorsement to have made much of a difference in the poll.