WXII. 12.COM. CHRISTINE DEVONTE, THANK YOU. AND LET’S CONTINUE OUR TEAM COVERAGE WITH KARA PETERS NOW KARA, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME VOTERS HAD TO SHOW A FORM OF PHOTO ID WHEN OUT AT THE POLLS. CORRECT. YEAH, CHRISTINE THAT’S EXACTLY CORRECT. AND CONOVER NATIONS TO BRING THIS NEW REQUIREMENT TO NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR YEARS NOW. THE LEGALITIES OF IT ALL STILL RESOLVED ON JUST A STATE COURT LEVEL. AND TONIGHT, I SPOKE WITH PROFESSOR OF POLITICS AT WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY, AS WELL AS A LOCAL POLL WORKER WHO BELIEVED THAT THIS WILL GIVE US A GLIMPSE OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT FOR NEXT YEAR’S ELECTIONS. MANY ACROSS THE PIEDMONT TRIAD SPENT PART OF THEIR DAY VOTING FOR THEIR LOCAL MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, A DAY OF VOTER TURNOUT DESCRIBED AS SLOW AND STEADY, NOT BEEN A VERY PRODUCTIVE YEAR. I THINK PEOPLE IN THE KERNERSVILLE AREA HAVE SEEN THAT THERE’S THE SEATS ARE RUNNING UNOPPOSED, SO THEY’RE JUST NOT SEEING A NEED TO COME OUT AND VOTE. BUT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT EVERYBODY VOTES. NOW, IN SOME WAYS THAT’S THAT’S CONCERNING BECAUSE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISIONS ARE MADE IN GOVERNMENT, NOT AT THE PRESIDENTIAL LEVEL, NOT AT THE STATE LEVEL, BUT AT THE TOWN LEVEL AND THROUGH MAYORS. AND YET THOSE ELECTIONS ARE NOT USUALLY ENOUGH TO MOTIVATE HUGE NUMBERS OF VOTERS TO COME OUT TO THE POLLS THIS ELECTION DAY. NOW INCORPORATING PHOTO ID, WHILE MOST PEOPLE WILL SHOW THEIR NORTH CAROLINA DRIVER’S LICENSE, OTHER ACCEPTABLE FORMS INCLUDE A US PASSPORT, COLLEGE ID OR MILITARY CARD. PEOPLE HAVE HAVE BEEN VERY POSITIVE WITH IT. ONE LADY WAS AT THIS POLLING PLACE AND FORGOT HER WALLET AND NEEDED TO GO HOME, BUT SHE SAID THAT SHE ALWAYS PULLED OUT HER ID ANYWAY. BOTH DINON AND TIM SUJI WITH THE FORSYTH COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS SAY THE FEEDBACK WITH THIS NEW REQUIREMENT WILL BE A GOOD INDICATOR AS WE LOOK AHEAD TO NEXT YEAR’S ELECTIONS FOR THIS MUNICIPAL ELECTION HAS BEEN A GREAT SORT OF TRIAL RUN FOR US TO IMPLEMENT THE NEW VOTER ID REQUIREMENT AND HELP US GEAR UP AND PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMIG 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. WE’VE JUST REDRAWN CONGRESSIONAL MAPS AND SO THERE WILL BE PEOPLE KIND OF JOINING IN FOR CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS. WE’LL HAVE ALL KINDS OF STATEWIDE ELECTIONS FOR GOVERNOR AND COUNCIL OF STATE AND OF COURSE, THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION ON THE BALLOT. SO THIS IS A THIS IS A FOCUS ON MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS. NOW, VERY QUICKLY AFTER THAT, PEOPLE WILL TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO NEXT YEAR’S ELECTIONS. AND THE LAST TIME WE SAW MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS, WHICH WAS IN 2021, SUJI WITH FORSYTH COUNTY SAYS THE VOTER TURNOUT WAS 12%. WITH EARLY VOTING, WE SAW MORE THAN 180 VOTERS AS COMPARED TO THIS YEAR, AROUND 120. WE’RE LIVE TONIG