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Here are some of the other stories catching our attention.

High Voter Turnout For Republicans And African-Americans

Tasnim Shamma

Republicans increased their numbers at the poll by more than 60,000 this year, while the number of Democrats decreased by 53,000. And the four groups with the highest voter turnout in the state were Republicans, African Americans, women and senior citizens. That's according to Democracy North Carolina, a voting rights group that analyzed the voter turnout data released by the State Board of Elections last week. 

"In both 2008 and 2012, African-American female Democrats of the demographic groups, they posted the highest voter turnout [rate]," says Bob Hall, executive director of Democracy North Carolina. "In other words, they were the most energized and interested in making sure they got to vote."

Breaking down by race, African-Americans (70.2%) had the highest voter turnout rate followed by white voters (68.6%) and Hispanic voters (54.3%). Over 4.5 million ballots were cast in North Carolina in this year's election. That's 68.3 percent of all registered voters who cast a ballot, a 1.3 percent decrease in the overall voter turnout compared to 2008. The lowest turnout rates in the state were among young voters between 18 and 25. 

"Even though they may register, they're less inclined to actually go vote than older voters," Hall says. "They're just not as connected to the political process."