Across North Carolina, Election Day voters brought different priorities to the polls — from taxes and tribal sovereignty to environmental protections and transportation. For most, though, it was about making sure their communities — and their voices — aren’t overlooked.
Early voting turnout already surpassed the last midterm election in 2022, with Democrats and unaffiliated voters accounting for much of the participation.
NC Local staff went to the polls from the Qualla Boundary to the coast on Election Day to ask voters a simple question: What was the most important issue on your mind as you marked your ballot? At many polling places, respondents talked about the importance of democracy, including Martha Lucas who lives in Sanford in Lee County.
“The most important thing to me in voting this year is protecting democracy and promoting candidates who tell the truth,” Lucas said.
Lee Rankin of Charlotte focused on national politics.
“The most important thing to me coming out to vote today is getting rid of Trump and his administration because they’re not really for the people, they’re for the corporations,” Rankin said.
For Dallas Bennett, national issues have local implications. Bennett, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee, was excited for a new representative in the U.S. Senate — referencing the tribe’s sour relationship with retiring Senator Thom Tillis.
“For us [the election is] protecting tribal sovereignty,” Bennett, who works in the Vice Chief’s office, said. “It’s been about 15 years since our tribe has been able to have an open-door relationship with our senator in Washington and so that hurts us because we can try to make contact with them. But they’re just not open and receptive to our ideas and wanting to work with us — when they represent us, we’re part of their district and we just kind of get kicked to the curb.”
Meanwhile, voters like Charlie Krysiak in Mecklenburg County focused on local issues. He said that in the past couple of years in national politics, “It feels like both sides are kind of talking to a wall.” Instead, Krysiak was focused on a local transportation bond.
“I think the city of Charlotte needs to improve their transportation,” he said. “They need the funding to be able to do so. I drive on the roads. I see how bad some of them are getting. From an accessibility standpoint for a lot of the Charlotteans that may not have access to a vehicle, I think the $280 million bonds is a big price to pay, but in the long run it will help improve this city and it will give more accessibility and ease of travel for a lot of Charlotteans for a long time to come.”
John Nations, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee who lives in the Qualla community, was focused on the Swain County Sheriff’s race. He has worked with Republican candidate Brian Kirkland.
“There is just a whole new attitude at the Swain County Sheriff’s office than there was,” Nations said.
Kirkland took office after former Sheriff Curtis Cochran was forced to resign in 2025, and faces Democrat David Southards.
Another local issue that was top of mind was data centers. In Lee County, Gabby Murillo siad she supports data center regulation.
“I’m not pro data center, but I am pro information,” Murillo said. “We need to understand that we live in a modern society, and we have to have things [that] keep us in that modern world. How can we implement policies rather than trying to demolish something completely? How can we work with it and make it more regulated?”
Others at the polls focused on how the election would impact their lives holistically, including Scarlett Estrada Guzman in Arden.
“My reasoning for coming out to vote today is to protect our human and environmental rights in North Carolina,” Guzman said.
Shari Krueger said that she was a Republican but changed her affiliation “since Donald Trump came down that escalator.” Krueger, who lives in Sylva in Jackson County, agreed that she hoped the politicians elected would bring Democratic change.
“If they don’t, then we will move on to somebody better,” she said. “It’s critical that these people that we are electing get down to business.”
The polls close at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in most counties. This afternoon, the N.C. State Board of Elections held an emergency meeting to extend voting hours at some precincts in seven counties: Columbus, Gates, Lenoir, Watauga, Wilkes, Wilson and Hertford. Preliminary counts will be shared this evening on the Board of Elections website. The results will not be finalized until after the county and state canvass later this month.
To follow North Carolina results, watch the NC Local results tracker page.
Diara J. Townes, Jodi Leese Glusco, Ryan Oehril, Bill Horner III and Sasha Schroeder contributed to this report.
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