1 00:00:04,879 --> 00:00:05,599 Speaker 1: What's going on? 2 00:00:05,759 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for listening to this podcast. It 3 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:10,080 is heard live every day from noon to three on 4 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:13,839 WBT Radio in Charlotte. And if you want exclusive content 5 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:17,120 like invitations to events, the weekly live stream, my daily 6 00:00:17,199 --> 00:00:19,480 show prep with all the links, become a patron, go 7 00:00:19,559 --> 00:00:23,399 to thepeakclendershow dot com. Make sure you hit the subscribe button. 8 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:26,359 Get every episode for free right to your smartphone or tablet. 9 00:00:26,359 --> 00:00:29,359 And again, thank you so much for your support. And 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:31,719 it is Tuesday, it is twelve o'clock noon, and so 11 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:33,719 it's time to chat with Andrew Dunn. He is the 12 00:00:33,719 --> 00:00:37,159 publisher of Long Leave Politics and a contributing columnist over 13 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:38,920 at the Charlotte Observer. But we do not hold that 14 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,240 against him. Andrew. Welcome to the show, sir. 15 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:41,719 Speaker 1: How are you. 16 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:45,280 Speaker 3: Oh, I'm fantastic, great to be back with you. 17 00:00:45,359 --> 00:00:47,719 Speaker 2: Yes, sir, glad you had some time today again for us, 18 00:00:47,759 --> 00:00:50,759 We appreciate it. You got a bunch of different posts 19 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:52,759 that are out there. So let's start with your piece 20 00:00:52,799 --> 00:00:55,880 that appeared in the McClatchy Papers, News and Observer Charlotte Observer. 21 00:00:56,759 --> 00:01:01,000 And this is about everybody's favorite state aid agency to hate, 22 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:05,480 the DMV. You say, in a partisan political climate, the 23 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,280 DMV is one of the few things everybody agrees is broken, 24 00:01:08,799 --> 00:01:12,840 which is what makes Governor Josh Stein's new appointment to 25 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:17,879 lead the agency so revealing. Okay, so who is this guy, 26 00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:21,359 Paul Tyne and why is this revealing? 27 00:01:21,439 --> 00:01:27,439 Speaker 3: As you say, Yeah, so, Republican lawmakers have been highly 28 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,280 critical of Wayne Goodwin, who's been running the DMV for 29 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,159 a couple of years now, ended up pushing him to 30 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:37,560 step down and not try to get reappointed. And so 31 00:01:37,799 --> 00:01:42,480 the Secretary of Transportation he was going around telling reporters that, 32 00:01:42,959 --> 00:01:44,599 you know, they were looking to bring in a new 33 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:48,239 DMV commissioner who had business experience, who's going to shake 34 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,599 things up, fix all these problems. But then Josh Stein 35 00:01:53,239 --> 00:01:57,799 ended up appointing Paul Kyne, who is a former state lawmaker. 36 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:01,120 He runs an insurance agency out on the outer banks. 37 00:02:02,079 --> 00:02:04,840 I don't see anything wrong with him as a person. 38 00:02:04,879 --> 00:02:07,120 I'm sure he's a nice guy. I've never spoken to him, 39 00:02:07,159 --> 00:02:11,879 but he's definitely not you know, a retail business leader 40 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,960 who's going to come in and shake things up. You know, 41 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,680 when I see that pick, what I see is someone 42 00:02:17,719 --> 00:02:20,360 who's going to be able to manage the political relationship, 43 00:02:20,439 --> 00:02:24,319 and what I see from Josh Stein is him basically saying, 44 00:02:24,479 --> 00:02:26,520 I'm not going to do anything with this. I can't 45 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,360 fix it. We're just going to let Republicans, you know, 46 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:32,000 the State Auditor Dave Bullock and the General Assembly run 47 00:02:32,039 --> 00:02:35,000 the show here and Paul Tyne is kind of going 48 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:38,560 to be my go between two that has credibility with 49 00:02:38,599 --> 00:02:42,319 the General Assembly and is on my side. 50 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:46,319 Speaker 2: Which it kind of makes some sense from a not 51 00:02:46,479 --> 00:02:52,800 just a political strategy standpoint, but also I guess pragmatically, 52 00:02:52,879 --> 00:02:55,319 because the legislature is going to be the body that 53 00:02:55,479 --> 00:03:00,479 is going to greenlight any funds necessary to do whatever 54 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,240 renovation needs to be done inside the DMV. 55 00:03:03,199 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, I mean, honestly, this might be close to 56 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,080 the best case scenario in our current landscape. I mean, 57 00:03:10,159 --> 00:03:13,000 like in a pie in the sky world, it wouldn't 58 00:03:13,039 --> 00:03:18,199 be great if we had a super confident, successful businessman 59 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,960 who would come in and reshape the DMV like that 60 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,199 would be fantastic. But in this environment, I just don't 61 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,000 see that happening. So I don't think it's worth Josh 62 00:03:29,039 --> 00:03:32,479 Stein getting getting in a fight over a turf battle 63 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,479 over who gets to fix a DMV, this might actually 64 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:38,039 be the best way to actually bring about change. 65 00:03:38,319 --> 00:03:38,479 Speaker 1: Right. 66 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,039 Speaker 2: Sometimes the right politics is the right policy and it's 67 00:03:42,039 --> 00:03:43,960 the right thing to do. And so, yeah, if you've 68 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:47,400 got a guy that plays well with Republicans, you put 69 00:03:47,439 --> 00:03:51,039 him in charge and you let the Republicans sort of 70 00:03:51,199 --> 00:03:53,199 lead the way and he can implement. And if you 71 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,280 just take a hands off approach, if you're steying and 72 00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:59,319 things do improve, then you get to claim credit. And 73 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,479 you know, the North Carolina media is going to give 74 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:03,800 Josh Stein all the credit in the world if he 75 00:04:03,879 --> 00:04:06,000 is able to reduce the wait. 76 00:04:05,919 --> 00:04:12,199 Speaker 3: Times, of course, but I'm much more concerned about things 77 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,719 actually getting better for people in North Carolina. You know, 78 00:04:14,759 --> 00:04:17,040 I was just on the DMB website the other day 79 00:04:17,079 --> 00:04:20,920 trying to get an appointment and there are zero appointments 80 00:04:20,959 --> 00:04:23,360 anywhere in the state of North Carolina over the next 81 00:04:23,439 --> 00:04:27,040 ninety days, which is just completely absurd. 82 00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, I had to drive. 83 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:32,079 Speaker 2: I had to renew mine and that's a whole other story, 84 00:04:32,199 --> 00:04:35,079 Like because I when I moved, my address did not 85 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:38,519 exist because it was a newly built house in a neighborhood, 86 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,480 and so I had to wait for all of the 87 00:04:40,519 --> 00:04:42,759 systems to get updated with the new address and everything. 88 00:04:42,800 --> 00:04:44,519 So I had to go down and show the DMV 89 00:04:45,079 --> 00:04:48,959 my proof of you know, home purchase, like this property 90 00:04:49,000 --> 00:04:52,040 does exist. Well, they took my photo, right, I got 91 00:04:52,079 --> 00:04:54,920 the real ID at the time. I did all of that, 92 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:59,959 and then I get a letter like within eight months 93 00:05:00,199 --> 00:05:02,399 or so that says I got to renew my license. 94 00:05:02,439 --> 00:05:04,079 I said, I just did, and they're like, no, no, 95 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:09,040 that was a duplicate way. Why is that a duplicate license? Like, oh, 96 00:05:09,079 --> 00:05:11,079 that only counts as a duplicate I said, I got 97 00:05:11,079 --> 00:05:13,519 a new picture taken and everything, a new address, and 98 00:05:13,759 --> 00:05:16,000 they confirmed it was me. I didn't take the eye test. 99 00:05:16,399 --> 00:05:18,040 They didn't give me the eye test, so it doesn't 100 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:20,040 count as a renewal. So I had to go one 101 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,639 hundred miles up north towards Hickory for the only appointment 102 00:05:23,639 --> 00:05:25,920 that I could find to get the real ID and 103 00:05:25,959 --> 00:05:29,959 get the get the renewal. It's yeah, it's absolutely absurd, 104 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,959 and Mechlimber County is among the worst as I understand it. 105 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,519 People just waiting in line for hours on end and 106 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:38,600 not even getting in. Then just you wait for five 107 00:05:38,639 --> 00:05:41,399 hours and you don't even get in, and the government 108 00:05:41,439 --> 00:05:44,680 forces everybody to go to these agencies. So everybody has 109 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,680 this up close personal experience with their government and it's 110 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:50,240 not it's not pleasant. 111 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:53,079 Speaker 1: So yeah, maybe this is not at all. 112 00:05:53,199 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 3: You know, and I'm old enough to remember when you 113 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,519 would just walk in and they would actually print your 114 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:02,279 lescens for you right there. But those days are long gone. 115 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:06,079 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, So maybe, as you say, appointing a 116 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:10,079 politically acceptable middleman, let the General Assembly and the State 117 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:12,600 Auditor drive the process and hope that it's enough to 118 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,680 make progress. Or here's the other part of it is, 119 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:18,519 you can shift the blame. If it doesn't work out, 120 00:06:18,879 --> 00:06:21,319 then you can blame the legislature and the state auditor. 121 00:06:21,519 --> 00:06:25,120 So politically, it seems pretty smart for Stein to have 122 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:25,959 gone this direction. 123 00:06:26,439 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: We'll see if it works out for us. 124 00:06:28,879 --> 00:06:29,759 Speaker 3: Yeah, he's hoping. 125 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 1: Yeah. 126 00:06:31,319 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 2: Next up, Phil Berger, most powerful legislator in the state 127 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:40,720 of North Carolina, and he has now started rolling out 128 00:06:40,800 --> 00:06:46,959 endorsements from allies, which you point out this is usually 129 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,920 the time in the political calendar where you're working on 130 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:53,759 budgets and legislation. You're not out campaigning at this point. 131 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:56,639 But you say, Burger is not treating this like a 132 00:06:56,720 --> 00:06:59,240 typical off year, So why is that. 133 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, well that's what got me started thinking about this 134 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,879 when I saw all those endorsements roll out, and then 135 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:08,759 you know, it's way early in the cycle for that 136 00:07:08,839 --> 00:07:11,800 sort of thing to happen. Your listeners may may or 137 00:07:11,839 --> 00:07:15,279 may not be familiar with this, but Rockingham County Sheriff 138 00:07:15,399 --> 00:07:18,199 Sam Page has announced that he's going to challenge Phil 139 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,879 Berger for his Senate seat in twenty twenty six. Also 140 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:25,360 a really early announcement from the sheriff, but he's been 141 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,439 thinking about this for a long time. And you know, 142 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,279 on its face, you wouldn't think that Phil Berger, with 143 00:07:32,439 --> 00:07:35,120 all his power in the state of North Carolina, would 144 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:38,560 have anything to worry about. But when you dive into 145 00:07:38,600 --> 00:07:42,759 the data, he actually does have a problem there. You know, 146 00:07:42,839 --> 00:07:47,000 Sheriff Sam Page is extremely popular in Rockingham County. You know, 147 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:50,319 he doesn't have great name id outside of Rockingham County. 148 00:07:50,879 --> 00:07:53,160 You know, he ran for lieutenant governor two years ago 149 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,879 and didn't do very well statewide. I think he came 150 00:07:56,920 --> 00:07:59,800 in fourth or fifth place in an eleven person field, 151 00:08:00,639 --> 00:08:03,600 but he dominated in Rockingham County. People love him there. 152 00:08:04,439 --> 00:08:06,800 It's really hard to kind of gauge how he would 153 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,199 fare in a in a head to head battle against Burger, 154 00:08:10,199 --> 00:08:13,959 but there are some signs that that he could give 155 00:08:13,959 --> 00:08:16,879 Burger a run for his money. Neither one has really 156 00:08:16,879 --> 00:08:19,680 faced much opposition, which makes it tough, you know, but 157 00:08:19,839 --> 00:08:22,959 in when they're running unopposed, you know, Sam Page gets 158 00:08:23,199 --> 00:08:26,480 seventy five percent of the vote and Burger gets, you know, 159 00:08:26,560 --> 00:08:28,879 sixty percent of the vote, and it's hard to say, 160 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:30,800 you know, hard to say when you know what that 161 00:08:30,879 --> 00:08:34,039 means when they're actually head to head. But on its face, 162 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:36,399 those are those are warm signs for Burger, and it 163 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,320 sounds like from how he's acting right now, that he's 164 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:40,960 taking it extremely seriously. 165 00:08:41,399 --> 00:08:45,000 Speaker 2: Didn't Sam Page run for lieutenant governor? Who Wasn't he 166 00:08:45,039 --> 00:08:47,759 sort of talked out of running against Burger? I think 167 00:08:47,759 --> 00:08:50,039 that was the rumor that he was going to run 168 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:52,120 against Burger, but then he got talked into running for 169 00:08:52,159 --> 00:08:53,600 lieutenant governor instead. 170 00:08:53,919 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 1: Is that? Is there anything to that that you know of? 171 00:08:57,720 --> 00:08:59,759 Speaker 3: That's my best guess, you know, I don't have any 172 00:08:59,759 --> 00:09:03,200 heart evidence that that's what happens, but I would say 173 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:05,799 with ninety nine percent certainty that that's what happened. 174 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:06,279 Speaker 1: Yeah. 175 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:12,639 Speaker 2: So then comes the the casino issue where Phil Burger 176 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:16,600 makes this deal to bring casino gambling to four different 177 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:20,399 places across the state, Rockingham County being one of them. 178 00:09:20,759 --> 00:09:22,600 And I heard the reasons for it and all that, 179 00:09:22,639 --> 00:09:24,519 and it put a lot of Republicans in an awkward 180 00:09:24,559 --> 00:09:28,120 position because they did not want casino gambling in North Carolina. 181 00:09:28,879 --> 00:09:32,480 But Phil Berger was pushing it, and he is very powerful. 182 00:09:32,799 --> 00:09:36,799 Sam Page was one of the only Republicans that I 183 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,639 saw consistently hammering away at Phil Burger on this. How 184 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:42,200 does that play back in their district? 185 00:09:44,399 --> 00:09:46,399 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, you're exactly right. I mean, I think 186 00:09:46,399 --> 00:09:51,120 the Republican opposition to it was pretty broad. There's a 187 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,399 lot of folks in the Republican caucus who are very 188 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:58,000 uneasy about expanding casino gambling. But you're right, you know, 189 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,480 nobody was coming out vocally against except for Sam Page. 190 00:10:01,519 --> 00:10:03,879 But you know the fact that it didn't make it 191 00:10:03,919 --> 00:10:06,799 into the budget because there wasn't enough Republican votes kind 192 00:10:06,799 --> 00:10:09,559 of tells you everything you need to know there. And 193 00:10:09,639 --> 00:10:15,080 I think maybe if the process had gone a different way, 194 00:10:15,519 --> 00:10:18,039 casinos would have been more well received. If you know, 195 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,039 Burger and other Republicans in that area kind of laid 196 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:24,360 the groundwork for it, you know, maybe argument for it, 197 00:10:24,399 --> 00:10:27,080 took it slow, did public hearings, all that sort of 198 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,440 thing that you typically associate with a controversial political issue. 199 00:10:31,759 --> 00:10:34,159 But it really seemed like Burger wanted to just kind 200 00:10:34,159 --> 00:10:37,519 of ram it through. I'm not quite sure what the 201 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:40,320 thought process was there. It really seems like kind of 202 00:10:40,320 --> 00:10:43,320 an unusual political misstep for him. 203 00:10:43,519 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, you also point out something that I think a 204 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,279 lot of people overlook, which is that when you are 205 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,879 a leader in a legislative body, you're going around and 206 00:10:53,919 --> 00:10:55,879 doing a lot of other stuff. And you point out, 207 00:10:55,879 --> 00:10:58,320 you know, he's built this political machine, he directs it, 208 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,879 but he also is he he's got a lot on 209 00:11:00,919 --> 00:11:04,039 his plate, He's going different places. National level, it's even worse, 210 00:11:04,440 --> 00:11:07,559 and it is very easy for people that rise to 211 00:11:07,639 --> 00:11:13,320 those positions to lose touch with their local district. And 212 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:15,320 I think there are examples of it. What was this 213 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,200 Eric Canter right up in Virginia who got beat by 214 00:11:19,279 --> 00:11:21,639 David Bratt just out of the blue. And I think 215 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:23,840 that's part of the reason why sometimes that happens. 216 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,399 Speaker 3: Oh absolutely, And we're in a political environment right now 217 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:31,519 where there's a very strong anti incumbent sentiment, you know, 218 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:33,519 both on the left and the right, but I would 219 00:11:33,559 --> 00:11:38,720 say especially among Republicans, and I don't think Berger has 220 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:43,279 kind of adjusted his political calculus to adapt to that. 221 00:11:44,639 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 2: Andrew Dunn, publisher of long Leaf Politics. You could check 222 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:50,200 out the website longleafpol dot com. Also you can read 223 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,399 his work at The Charlotte Observer. Andrew, thanks so much, man, 224 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,440 have a great week. We'll see you next Tuesday. 225 00:11:55,639 --> 00:11:56,159 Speaker 3: So good. 226 00:11:56,240 --> 00:11:56,919 Speaker 1: All right, thank you. 227 00:11:57,399 --> 00:12:00,080 Speaker 2: Here's a great idea. How about making an escape to 228 00:12:00,159 --> 00:12:03,600 a really special and secluded getaway in western North Carolina. 229 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:05,919 Just a quick drive up the mountain and Cabins of 230 00:12:05,919 --> 00:12:10,279 Ashville is your connection. 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One 249 00:13:11,759 --> 00:13:13,440 o'clock we'll be chatting with TJ. 250 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:13,919 Speaker 1: Ritchie. 251 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,759 Speaker 2: He is the newly named host of a newly created 252 00:13:18,799 --> 00:13:23,480 show coincidentally called The TJ Ritchie Show. It's a mystery 253 00:13:23,519 --> 00:13:27,879 how he got the job, and that's that's going to 254 00:13:27,919 --> 00:13:30,120 be seven to nine pm weekdays here on WBT. But 255 00:13:30,159 --> 00:13:32,440 we'll be talking with him at one o'clock. And then 256 00:13:32,440 --> 00:13:36,240 at one point thirty we got Joe Bruno from WSOCTV 257 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:40,879 to talk about paying off our police chief because his 258 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:41,759 feelings were hurt. 259 00:13:41,799 --> 00:13:43,240 Speaker 1: I think okay. 260 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:48,679 Speaker 2: A bill filed in the North Carolina House would extend 261 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:55,559 driver's license expiration dates. So we're going to get an 262 00:13:55,600 --> 00:14:01,879 extension if you haven't, which I I have missed. I 263 00:14:01,919 --> 00:14:04,320 took a day off of work to drive an hour 264 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:09,120 up towards Tickery to get my license renewed. But now 265 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,279 under this bill, House Bill eight twenty one, which already 266 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,759 received approval by the House Transportation Committee, it would establish 267 00:14:15,759 --> 00:14:20,080 a temporary moratorium on the expiration of certain Class C 268 00:14:20,559 --> 00:14:25,279 driver licenses in North Carolina. This is due to the 269 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:30,480 long wait times at all of the offices across the 270 00:14:30,639 --> 00:14:37,039 entire state. I got a message here from Sherry to 271 00:14:37,159 --> 00:14:40,159 Pete at the petecalnershow dot com. A relative had an 272 00:14:40,159 --> 00:14:43,440 appointment for this week, approximately one hour from her home. 273 00:14:43,799 --> 00:14:47,960 She received an email yesterday telling her appointments were overbooked, 274 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:51,399 her appointment was canceled and she would need to reschedule 275 00:14:51,480 --> 00:14:55,559 through the website. As your guest Andrew Dunn just mentioned, 276 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:57,639 and anybody who has tried to get an appointment knows 277 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:03,879 it's almost impossible to get and appointment. Yeah, it is ridiculous. 278 00:15:03,919 --> 00:15:07,200 There are some hacks. I went over these. A couple 279 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:11,879 of weeks ago. One of them is the midnight hack 280 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:15,639 or the twelve am hack, which is the appointments open 281 00:15:15,759 --> 00:15:19,720 up at twelve midnight on the computer on the website. 282 00:15:20,080 --> 00:15:23,320 So if you are so, if you you know, set 283 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:26,879 your alarm, wake up, or stay up and get online, 284 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,000 you may be able to find some slots right at 285 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:38,200 twelve o'clock in the morning. The bill extends the validity 286 00:15:38,279 --> 00:15:40,720 of Class C driver's licenses for up to two years 287 00:15:40,759 --> 00:15:43,600 beyond their expiration date. However, the extension does not apply 288 00:15:43,679 --> 00:15:47,480 to licenses that are currently canceled, revoked, or suspended, nor 289 00:15:47,559 --> 00:15:50,840 to real ID compliant licenses that have been valid for 290 00:15:50,879 --> 00:15:52,639 eight years or more. So if you have the real 291 00:15:52,679 --> 00:15:55,879 ID and you have to renew it, you cannot get 292 00:15:55,919 --> 00:15:59,279 the two year extension. It would be active upon the 293 00:15:59,279 --> 00:16:01,360 bill becoming low law. The law would only be in 294 00:16:01,399 --> 00:16:05,600 effect through December thirty one, twenty twenty seven. In March, 295 00:16:05,799 --> 00:16:08,759 North Carolina's DMV chief Wayne Goodwin announced he would not 296 00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:13,480 seek to keep his post, but he indicated that he 297 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:15,799 would remain in his one hundred and sixty three thousand 298 00:16:15,879 --> 00:16:19,759 dollars annual position until a replacement is found. During his tenure, 299 00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:23,200 he did try to address efficiency issues through Saturday office 300 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:27,279 operations and self serve kiosks and grocery stores. However, twenty 301 00:16:27,320 --> 00:16:29,200 twenty four turned out to be a difficult year for 302 00:16:29,279 --> 00:16:33,399 him and the DMV due to service delays and contract issues. 303 00:16:33,919 --> 00:16:38,000 Back in March, lawmakers held hearings focused on appointment scheduling 304 00:16:38,039 --> 00:16:41,399 and customer wait times, and in June, the DMV came 305 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:46,320 under fire after state ID delays reached six weeks instead 306 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:51,799 of the standard fifteen days, which Goodwin attributed to vendor problems. 307 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:54,120 All right, if you're listening to this show, you know 308 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,200 I try to keep up with all sorts of current events, 309 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:58,320 and I know you do too, And you've probably heard 310 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:02,399 me say get your news from the multiple sources. Why Well, 311 00:17:02,399 --> 00:17:05,119 because it's how you detect media bias, which is why 312 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,359 I've been so impressed with ground News. It's an app 313 00:17:08,559 --> 00:17:11,799 and it's a website, and it combines news from around 314 00:17:11,799 --> 00:17:14,240 the world in one place so you can compare coverage 315 00:17:14,440 --> 00:17:17,160 and verify information. You can check it out at check 316 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:21,640 dot ground, dot news slash Pete. I put the link 317 00:17:21,680 --> 00:17:24,759 in the podcast description too. I started using ground News 318 00:17:24,799 --> 00:17:27,519 a few months ago and more recently chose to work 319 00:17:27,559 --> 00:17:29,599 with them as an affiliate because it lets me see 320 00:17:29,599 --> 00:17:33,440 clearly how stories get covered and by whom. The blind 321 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:36,279 spot feature shows you which stories get ignored by the 322 00:17:36,359 --> 00:17:40,079 left and the right. See for yourself. Check Dot Ground, 323 00:17:40,279 --> 00:17:43,920 dot News slash Pete. Subscribe through that link and you'll 324 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,119 get fifteen percent off any subscription. I use the Vantage 325 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,599 plan to get unlimited access to every feature. Your subscription 326 00:17:50,720 --> 00:17:53,359 then not only helps my podcast, but it also supports 327 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,720 Ground News as they make the media landscape more transparent. 328 00:17:57,559 --> 00:17:59,799 All right, So I think this election is finally over, 329 00:18:00,839 --> 00:18:01,880 I mean the last election. 330 00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:03,359 Speaker 1: I think it may be over. 331 00:18:03,400 --> 00:18:05,799 Speaker 2: Guys, eight, No, eight, hang on, we still have like 332 00:18:05,839 --> 00:18:10,599 a week, okay. A federal judge has ordered the North 333 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:14,319 Carolina State Board of Elections to just go ahead and 334 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:18,359 certify the results of that state Supreme Court race between 335 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:25,839 Democrat Alison Riggs and Republican Jefferson Griffin, and to certify Riggs, 336 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:30,759 the Democrat, as the winner in the election. The decision 337 00:18:31,039 --> 00:18:35,759 rejects ballot challenges from Republican from the Republican Party and 338 00:18:35,799 --> 00:18:41,440 the candidate Griffin. US Chief District Judge Richard Myers, a 339 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:45,640 Trump appointment, placed a one week hold on his decision though, 340 00:18:46,279 --> 00:18:50,200 just in case Griffin wants to appeal, which I'm pretty 341 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:54,519 sure he's going to. I have no idea, I have 342 00:18:54,559 --> 00:18:56,519 no inside knowledge on that. I'm just pretty sure he's 343 00:18:56,559 --> 00:18:58,960 going to because everybody's been appealing every single thing in 344 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:02,119 this case the whole time, So why would it stop now. 345 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:08,319 The judge rejected the state Supreme Court decision from last 346 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:15,000 month that put about seventeen hundred, well between seventeen hundred 347 00:19:15,039 --> 00:19:20,119 and fifty seven hundred ballots from the fall election in question. Okay, 348 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,440 the state Supreme Court ruling did that. We went over 349 00:19:22,480 --> 00:19:27,039 this at the time, and the state's highest court endorsed 350 00:19:27,079 --> 00:19:30,200 what they call a cure process, in other words, a 351 00:19:30,279 --> 00:19:35,759 remedy of fix on how to deal with these disputed ballots. 352 00:19:36,519 --> 00:19:40,559 Most of the ballots that we're talking about were tied 353 00:19:40,599 --> 00:19:47,319 to overseas voters who did not provide photo ID. I 354 00:19:47,359 --> 00:19:49,200 went over the ins and outs of this again when 355 00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:52,480 the Supreme Court made its decision. There's a smaller number 356 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:57,559 of ballots that involved the never residents. These are people 357 00:19:57,599 --> 00:20:00,559 that have never lived in North Carolina for whatever reason, 358 00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:04,559 and like maybe they're kids of you know, people working 359 00:20:04,599 --> 00:20:07,279 overseas or something or in the military, so they were 360 00:20:07,319 --> 00:20:10,839 born over there, but they were American citizens. And so 361 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:15,200 they then turn eighteen, they can register to vote, and 362 00:20:15,880 --> 00:20:17,720 they don't live here, they never have lived here. 363 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:19,640 Speaker 1: But what address do they put down? 364 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 2: They're an American citizen, their parents are from North Carolina, 365 00:20:23,039 --> 00:20:26,359 so they put their parents' address from North Carolina in 366 00:20:26,720 --> 00:20:29,480 And they were never a resident, and so they have 367 00:20:29,519 --> 00:20:32,000 to check a box that says have you ever been 368 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:37,480 a resident? And they say no, and those votes are 369 00:20:37,599 --> 00:20:43,559 challenged as well because they are never residents. The decision 370 00:20:44,039 --> 00:20:49,039 preserves the Democrats seven hundred and thirty four vote lead 371 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:53,599 over Republican Jefferson Griffin. There were more than five and 372 00:20:53,599 --> 00:21:01,079 a half million votes Cast Carolina Journal from the opinion, 373 00:21:01,119 --> 00:21:03,599 and I've read most of the opinion, it was like 374 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:07,680 seventy pages, says. The Court wishes to make clear that 375 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:11,160 this case is not about the prerogative of North Carolina 376 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:16,359 courts to interpret North Carolina law without question. Those courts 377 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:22,319 are the principal expositors of state law. This case is 378 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:27,039 also not about North Carolina's primacy to establish rules for 379 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:30,319 future state elections. It may do so, okay, So if 380 00:21:30,359 --> 00:21:32,920 the state wants to make laws for elections, they can 381 00:21:33,039 --> 00:21:37,000 do that. Rather, he says, this case concerns whether the 382 00:21:37,039 --> 00:21:41,480 federal Constitution, not the state, but the federal Constitution permits 383 00:21:41,519 --> 00:21:45,160 a state to alter the rules of an election after 384 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:49,839 the fact and apply those changes retroactively to only a 385 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:53,880 select group of voters, and in so doing treat those 386 00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:59,200 voters differently than other similarly situated individuals. I think this 387 00:21:59,319 --> 00:22:03,480 is partly because some of the challenges when were directed 388 00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:06,960 at ballots that came from certain counties and not statewide, 389 00:22:07,759 --> 00:22:10,960 and so you could have people that also did not 390 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,200 provide a photo ID, but did not live in one 391 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:16,440 of the challenged counties, and they weren't challenged, and so 392 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:18,720 their votes got to count. There was no challenge against them. 393 00:22:18,759 --> 00:22:22,079 They don't have to fix their ballots. This case is 394 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:25,440 also about whether a state may redefine its class of 395 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:29,160 eligible voters but offer no process to those who may 396 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:33,720 have been misclassified as ineligible. To this court, the answer 397 00:22:33,759 --> 00:22:41,279 to each of those questions is new. The judge, in 398 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:47,559 the introduction of his ruling also wrote, it's important to 399 00:22:47,640 --> 00:22:51,359 understand who cast ballots in the election and under what rules. 400 00:22:52,079 --> 00:22:56,279 For example, thousands of North Carolina voters cast absentee ballots 401 00:22:56,319 --> 00:22:59,200 from overseas. Many of these folks serve in the military 402 00:22:59,359 --> 00:23:01,119 or are in the face family of someone who does. 403 00:23:01,960 --> 00:23:06,559 Others may be missionaries. Still more are temporarily working or 404 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:11,039 pursuing an education abroad relevant to those voters. North Carolina's 405 00:23:11,079 --> 00:23:15,599 General Assembly enacted a voter ID law in twenty eighteen, 406 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:19,400 but we didn't get to do it because, yeah, we 407 00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:21,880 were getting sued all over the place, right, So took 408 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,519 years of litigation and the law finally took effect in 409 00:23:24,519 --> 00:23:28,119 twenty twenty three, but the law has never been applied 410 00:23:28,559 --> 00:23:33,480 to overseas military and civilian voters who vote absentee. The 411 00:23:33,519 --> 00:23:38,039 North Carolina Board of Elections, on a bipartisan and unanimous basis, 412 00:23:38,519 --> 00:23:43,319 exempted those voters from the voter ID law. And this 413 00:23:43,359 --> 00:23:46,000 is because when you are overseas and you're a and 414 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:49,880 you're voting, you're voting in local, state, and national races, 415 00:23:50,559 --> 00:23:55,759 and there is a national guideline for overseas voters that 416 00:23:55,799 --> 00:23:58,039 does not include a photo ID. And so the state 417 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:02,519 harmonized its law for or absentee ballots cast from overseas 418 00:24:02,880 --> 00:24:07,839 with the federal law. The North Carolina Board of Elections said, 419 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:12,160 we're going to have this same exemption. On April first, 420 00:24:12,160 --> 00:24:15,440 twenty twenty four, the State Board, pursuant to its rulemaking authority, 421 00:24:16,319 --> 00:24:20,119 promulgated a final rule which provided that overseas military and 422 00:24:20,160 --> 00:24:22,920 civilian voters were not required to submit a copy of 423 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:26,599 their photo ID with their absentee ballot. An identical temporary 424 00:24:26,599 --> 00:24:29,279 administrative rule had already been in effect for eight months 425 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:33,839 before promulgation of the final rule, so the final rule 426 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:35,960 was on the books for over seven months prior to 427 00:24:36,039 --> 00:24:39,960 the election, and it went unchallenged. In the months leading 428 00:24:40,039 --> 00:24:44,279 up to the election, the State Board also publicized guidance 429 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:48,559 to overseas voters which told them that they were exempt 430 00:24:48,599 --> 00:24:52,680 from the voter ID law. Thousands of overseas voters then 431 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:55,839 on election day relied on that rule and the State 432 00:24:55,880 --> 00:25:01,240 Board's guidance, and in fact they had no choice. Overseas 433 00:25:01,319 --> 00:25:06,039 voters submit their ballots through an online portal, and that 434 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,920 portal has no mechanism for a voter to attach a 435 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:16,680 copy of their photo ID. That's a problem. That's a problem, 436 00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:19,440 all right. So Spring is here a time of renewal 437 00:25:19,519 --> 00:25:24,079 and celebrations. You've got graduations, weddings, anniversaries, and the special 438 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:26,640 days for mom and dad. Your family's making memories that 439 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:28,799 are going to last a lifetime. But let me ask you, 440 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:32,200 are all of those treasured moments from days gone by? 441 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,920 Are they hidden away on old VCR tapes, eight millimeter films, 442 00:25:36,079 --> 00:25:40,440 photos slides? Are they preserved? Because over time, these precious 443 00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:44,559 memories can fade and deteriorate, losing the magic of yesterday. 444 00:25:44,799 --> 00:25:47,960 At Creative Video, they help you protect what matters most. 445 00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:52,039 Their expert team digitizes your cherished family moments and transfers 446 00:25:52,039 --> 00:25:54,880 them onto a USB drive, freezing them in time so 447 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:57,960 they can be enjoyed for generations to come. I urge 448 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:01,119 you do not wait until it's two late this spring. 449 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:04,720 Celebrate your past. Visit Creative Video today and let them 450 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:08,119 preserve your legacy with the love and care that it deserves. 451 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:12,759 Creative Video Preserving Family Memories since nineteen ninety seven, located 452 00:26:12,759 --> 00:26:15,400 in mint Hill, just off four eighty five. Mail orders 453 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,359 are accepted to get all the details that create a 454 00:26:18,519 --> 00:26:23,920 video dot com. So Judge Griffin, the Republican Appeals Court 455 00:26:24,559 --> 00:26:29,319 judge who ran against the sitting State Supreme Court Judge 456 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:34,480 Allison Riggs, Democrat. He challenged the votes from a separate 457 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:40,240 group of voters, children of overseas North Carolinians who, according 458 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,759 to the judge, when casting an absentee ballot in twenty 459 00:26:42,799 --> 00:26:45,920 twenty four, checked a box indicating that they have never 460 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,839 lived in the United States. These are called the never residents. 461 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:52,279 For over a decade prior to the twenty twenty four election, 462 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:57,160 their state law that granted these never residents the right 463 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:00,559 to vote, and they had voted under that status in 464 00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:06,799 over forty consecutive elections. But North Carolina's constitution includes a 465 00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:12,440 bonafied residency requirement for voters. The North Carolina Court of 466 00:27:12,440 --> 00:27:17,400 Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court both determined that 467 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,640 the law granting never residents the right to vote conflicted 468 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:27,599 with the bonafied residency provision in the state constitution. 469 00:27:27,839 --> 00:27:29,839 Speaker 1: And so it was void. 470 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:38,920 Speaker 2: It was voided because the law cannot supplant the constitution. 471 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:44,440 Everybody who self identified as a never resident in the 472 00:27:44,519 --> 00:27:48,920 November twenty twenty four election, several hundred individuals will have 473 00:27:49,000 --> 00:27:51,400 their votes discarded. 474 00:27:51,759 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 1: In this race. 475 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 2: There was no cure process offered to any individual who 476 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:01,240 may have inadvertently checked the box indicating that they have 477 00:28:01,279 --> 00:28:04,000 never lived in the US, and who had in fact 478 00:28:04,039 --> 00:28:07,440 previously lived in the US lived in North Carolina, right, 479 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:09,640 So there, if you made a mistake and checked the box, 480 00:28:09,799 --> 00:28:12,200 there was no way for you to fix that. The 481 00:28:12,319 --> 00:28:17,039 question presented here, the judge ruled, is whether those decisions 482 00:28:17,039 --> 00:28:19,559 from the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, 483 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:23,759 which rested on state law grounds, can be implemented in 484 00:28:23,839 --> 00:28:31,079 an election in a manner consistent with federal law. And 485 00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:35,160 that's where he says the answer is no. In his 486 00:28:35,279 --> 00:28:41,720 sixty eight page ruling, the judge named Myers again this 487 00:28:41,839 --> 00:28:45,720 is a Trump appointment, said that Griffin, the Republican and 488 00:28:45,759 --> 00:28:49,839 the North Carolina GOP's unprecedented effort to challenge over sixty 489 00:28:49,839 --> 00:28:54,440 five thousand ballots presented an unconstitutional burden on the right 490 00:28:54,519 --> 00:28:58,240 to vote. Charlotte Observer reports that in April, the state 491 00:28:58,279 --> 00:29:02,680 Supreme Court threw out Griffin's life urgest challenge most amount 492 00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:05,400 of ballots that he was challenging. They threw that went out, 493 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:09,119 but they ruled that potentially thousands of military and overseas 494 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:12,240 voters would have to prove their eligibility during a thirty 495 00:29:12,319 --> 00:29:15,640 day ballot review process. This was the cure period. They're 496 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:18,880 like we're tossing all of these, but there's still this 497 00:29:19,079 --> 00:29:22,920 like pool of anywhere from you know, seventeen hundred to 498 00:29:23,359 --> 00:29:26,640 six thousand votes or so. We'll give them thirty days 499 00:29:26,759 --> 00:29:29,759 to basically show proof of you know, photo ID if 500 00:29:29,759 --> 00:29:32,960 you were absentee or whatever. Several hundred other voters challenged 501 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:37,759 over the residency status. This was the never residence. But 502 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:41,440 if this judge's ruling now stands, it means the cure 503 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:44,799 period will not begin and no votes will be discarded. 504 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,279 Griffin and the North Carolina GOP are likely to appeal 505 00:29:49,319 --> 00:29:52,640 this ruling to the Fourth Circuit US Court of Appeals, 506 00:29:53,079 --> 00:29:56,640 but that court has already ruled against their efforts previously, 507 00:29:57,519 --> 00:30:00,720 so the case could ultimately reach the US Supreme Court. 508 00:30:02,319 --> 00:30:08,599 Griffin had initially challenged over sixty five thousand ballots that 509 00:30:08,759 --> 00:30:14,480 was significantly reduced when the state Supreme Court, Republican controlled, 510 00:30:15,039 --> 00:30:23,599 rejected the largest chunk of those ballots that was they 511 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:29,400 did not have certain identifying numbers in the state registration database. 512 00:30:30,119 --> 00:30:33,279 I've said this from the beginning, like virtually all of 513 00:30:33,319 --> 00:30:36,039 this is a mess because of the state Board of Elections. 514 00:30:37,759 --> 00:30:41,279 Just you've got tens of thousands of people that are 515 00:30:41,319 --> 00:30:45,559 supposed to have identification numbers, either the Social Security number 516 00:30:45,839 --> 00:30:47,640 or if they don't provide one, they get a voter 517 00:30:47,720 --> 00:30:53,240 ID number basically, and the state board never went through 518 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:57,359 they and did a list maintenance to make sure everybody 519 00:30:57,440 --> 00:31:02,960 had these numbers. The State Supreme Court ruled that this 520 00:31:03,000 --> 00:31:07,680 omission was not the voter's fault and therefore could not 521 00:31:07,799 --> 00:31:11,880 be used to cancel their ballots. But the State Supreme 522 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:17,279 Court said that these other group of absentees without photo ID, 523 00:31:16,799 --> 00:31:21,160 that that challenge could proceed, but you have to have 524 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:25,680 a thirty day remedy period, a cure period. The judge 525 00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:27,839 noted that the state had approved an exemption to the 526 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:30,480 idea requirement for military and overseas voters that was in 527 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:33,160 place for months before the election, but was never challenged 528 00:31:33,559 --> 00:31:38,759 until after. So I don't know, man, maybe like maybe 529 00:31:38,799 --> 00:31:44,160 we get some better list maintenance. Now that the Board 530 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,559 of Elections is going to is appointed by the state 531 00:31:46,599 --> 00:31:52,279 Auditor Dave Bollock right, the Republican legislature moved the appointment 532 00:31:52,319 --> 00:31:55,200 power from the governor over to the state auditor. Governor 533 00:31:55,240 --> 00:32:00,160 sued won the first time, lost on an appeals to 534 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:03,240 appeal again, so who knows? If I have no idea 535 00:32:03,279 --> 00:32:07,960 what's going to happen with that? Also of no Tim 536 00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:12,680 Wiggington Wigginton from the Blue Ridge Times reporting on the 537 00:32:12,759 --> 00:32:18,440 Fair Election Fund report on North Carolina's election system, and 538 00:32:19,759 --> 00:32:22,240 the report relied on criteria laid out in the Baker 539 00:32:22,319 --> 00:32:25,680 Carter Commission from two thousand and five to address americans 540 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,160 failing confidence in the election system, which provided over eighty 541 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:32,720 recommendations for sound elections. One of them was voter ID 542 00:32:33,119 --> 00:32:36,559 and North Carolina overall got a score of a C 543 00:32:37,359 --> 00:32:42,359 in election administration. All right, that'll do it for this episode. 544 00:32:42,359 --> 00:32:43,759 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for listening. 545 00:32:43,839 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 2: I could not do the show without your support and 546 00:32:46,039 --> 00:32:48,720 the support of the businesses that advertise on the podcast, 547 00:32:49,119 --> 00:32:51,160 so if you'd like, please support them too and tell 548 00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:52,920 them you heard it here. You can also become a 549 00:32:52,960 --> 00:32:57,640 patron at my Patreon page or go to thepetecallanershow dot com. Again, 550 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,440 thank you so much for listening, and don't take anything 551 00:33:00,440 --> 00:33:05,079 while I'm gone.