NC GOP boasts of lower black early voter turnout -- and a surge in 'Caucasian voters'

The North Carolina Republican Party has done a lot of work this year to limit early voting hours in black communities, and it's officially very proud of its work.

In a press release issued on Monday, the North Carolina GOP boasted that black early voter turnout was down across the state, while also touting a surge in "Caucasian voters" as evidence that the state will remain under Republican control this election cycle.

"As a share of Early Voters, African Americans are down 6.0%, (2012: 28.9%, 2016: 22.9%) and Caucasians are up 4.2%, (2012: 65.8%, 2016: 70.0%)," the press release states.

The NC GOP also notes that the total share of young voters as a percentage of all early voters is down compared with 2012, while the share of older early voters is up over the same period.

Last week, Reuters obtained emails via a public relations request that showed the NC GOP officials had "lobbied members of at least 17 county election boards to keep early-voting sites open for shorter hours on weekends and in evenings – times that usually see disproportionately high turnout by Democratic voters."