BILL O’NEIL JOINS US IN GREENSBORO WITH THE STORY FROM NORTH CAROLINA, ALLOWS UNAFFILIATED VOTERS TO CHOOSE WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO VOTE IN THE DEMOCRATIC OR REPUBLICAN PRIMARY. WELL, THIS TIME AROUND, THEY OVERWHELMINGLY CHOSE TO VOTE IN THE GOP PRIMARY. 96% OF THOSE WHO VOTED IN THE REPUBLICAN PRIMARY CHOSE DONALD TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT, AND MARK ROBINSON FOR GOVERNOR. BUT AFTER THAT, THE NUMBERS FALL OFF. 13% DIDN’T VOTE FOR ONE OF THE 11 REPUBLICAN JONES RUNNING FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. 17% SKIPPED THE INSURANCE COMMISSIONERS RACE AND 18% NEARLY 200,000 VOTERS DIDN’T BOTHER TO PICK A CANDIDATE IN THE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION RACE. DARK HORSE CANDIDATE MICHELLE MOREAU BEAT INCUMBENT CATHERINE TRUITT BY 36,000 VOTES. WHAT I LEARNED FROM THESE DATA IS CERTAINLY SHE WON FAIR AND SQUARE. A LOT OF VOTERS HAD THAT IN MIND, BUT A WHOLE LOT OF VOTERS PICKED NONE OF THE ABOVE. THERE. POLITICAL SCIENTIST CHRIS COOPER FROM WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY COMPILED THE DATA AND FOUND TWO THIRDS OF INDEPENDENT VOTERS CHOSE THE REPUBLICAN BALLOT. A MASSIVE INCREASE FOR THE GOP. I THINK THEY PICKED THE REPUBLICAN BALLOT BECAUSE IT WAS THE MORE INTERESTING ONE, RIGHT? SO PEOPLE WHO ARE, YOU KNOW, LOVE OR HATE DONALD TRUMP, YOU PROBABLY HAVE AN OPINION, DESPITE THE INDEPENDENT WAVE VOTING IN THE GOP PRIMARY, LEE COOPER SAYS DON’T READ TOO MUCH INTO IT. NOTHING TO BRING FROM THAT TO NOVEMBER. I DON’T THINK THERE IS A LOT I SEE PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE HAY OF THAT SAY, HEY, LOOK, THAT SHOWS A LOT OF REPUBLICAN ENTHUSIASM. YOU KNOW, I’M NOT SURE THAT THAT’S WHAT I WOULD TAKE AWAY FROM IT. I DON’T THINK IT’S PREDICTIVE OF FOR NOVEMBER OR IN ANY SIGNIFICANT WAY. PROFESSOR COOPER SAYS THE GOP BALLOT ROLL OFF WAS FOUR TIMES GREATER THAN THE DEMOCRATIC ONE. THAT MEANS VOTERS WHO CHOSE THE DEMOCRATIC BALLOT WERE FAR MORE LIKELY TO COMPLETE THE BALLOT THAN THOSE WHO CHOSE THE REPUBLICAN ONE.