The polls are open until 7:30 p.m. in North Carolina and 7 p.m. in South Carolina, as voters make their decision in the 2024 presidential race. WFAE reporters are out across the region, talking to voters about who they chose and why.
Carl Brown was voting at Amity Presbyterian Church in east Charlotte on Tuesday morning. He cast his ballots for Republicans — former president Donald Trump and Mark Robinson for governor.
"I choose Mark Robinson because I’m definitely against open borders, and all I can do is go by the way people have voted in the past and their strategies," he said.
Catina Scott was voting at the same precinct. She cast her vote for Democrats — Vice President Kamala Harris and Josh Stein.
"This election is a very important election due to the fact that I’m a woman," she said. "And there’s a lot of laws trying to be made about my body, and I don’t feel that somebody should tell me how to live in my body."
For some voters who went to the polls, there were no easy choices. Anna Bartholomew said she turned to her faith as she made her decision. As she left the polling place at William Davie Park on Pineville-Matthews Road, she wouldn’t share who she voted for, but said that it was a painstaking decision.
“If I’m honest, I cried when I made my vote. As a Christian it’s really tricky to choose a candidate that represents my moral and ethical standings and promotes equality for all humans," she said.
For Robert Muhlsteff, a Ballantyne-area resident who came out to vote at Messiah Lutheran Church on Providence Road, said it was his civic duty. But there were other things on his mind, as well.
“Immigration’s probably the top of my — the border — is probably the top of my concern. After that, I’d say cutting the fat in a lot of the spending that’s going on," Muhlsteff said.
Muhlsteff says he thinks Trump is stronger on those issues. And, as a former New Yorker himself, Muhlsteff says he’s familiar and comfortable with Trump’s persona.
Women’s rights and reproductive rights are one of the key issues driving voters to the polls today. But some voters are looking beyond the presidential race.
Outside of the polling place at William Davie Park, south Charlotte resident Rachel Rosenau said she supports Kamala Harris, but the presidential ticket isn’t what drove her to the polls.
“Of course the president is important, but I do feel like it’s the local and state government officials that are really important. So I’m particularly interested in the Supreme Court today — keeping women’s rights going. Don’t want to lose those," she said.
She’s hoping to reelect Democrat Allison Riggs for the state Supreme Court, and is also backing Democrat Jeff Jackson for attorney general.
Even with her focus on local races, Rosenau was excited to vote for Kamala Harris, casting a historic vote for a woman president.
“It’s a great opportunity to vote for a woman for the president. I think that would be a historical choice," she said.
Ron Brinson, from south Charlotte, who was also voting at William Davie Park polling place, said he's supporting Harris because he believes Trump is a danger to democracy. But he's even more turned off by Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor.
“Perhaps the only candidate at any level that I’m aware of who is as distasteful as the Republicans’ national nominee for president is the Republicans’ state nominee for governor," he said.
Waiting for results
Karen Brinson Bell, the director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said security — both for election workers and the voting process — is top-of-mind.
"We are monitoring, because we know from our counterparts in other states, that there have been some artificial intelligence videos that have been put out," Brinson Bell said. "There's been some attempts for denial of service attacks on other state websites. And so, not only are we monitoring for physical security, but we're also monitoring for cybersecurity as well."
Bell said some voting results might take a little longer tonight. For example, state law now prohibits tabulating the results of early in-person voting until the polls close.
"Know that our objective is, we will be, you know, provide [results] as quickly as we can. But the real objective for us to be as accurate as we can. Most likely, if all goes as planned, we will have, the last of the results up sometime in the midnight hour to Wednesday morning," she said.
Twenty-two-year-old Yocelin Rosas voted in her first-ever election Monday at the Albemarle Road Recreation Center in east Charlotte. She cast her ballot for Harris, and immigration was the most important issue for her.
“I want the best for the country. Anyone that comes here obviously wants to have the American Dream. When I voted for Kamala, I felt like she was the right candidate to represent this country, and she represents this country as a whole," she said.
Elizabeth Jones Kirk was also voting for Harris.
“That makes me feel good that I’m alive that if she does become the first Black-Asian, woman president, tears will be brought to my eyes," she said.
In the governor’s race, Jones Kirk also voted for Stein as opposed to Robinson.
“It doesn’t matter about the color. I go by the policies, and I think Josh Stein would make a great governor. Mark Robinson is.....I won’t even say the words that I want to say," she said.
Mark Hefner was voting at J.H. Gunn Elementary School in east Charlotte. He also cast his ballot for Harris.
“I went for someone who was going to keep the government stable and not make a divisive country and I think Kamala Harris is going to do that," he said.
Hefner’s top priority was reproductive rights for the women in his family.
“Women’s rights were the biggest one because I have a daughter now. Luckily, she lived in Michigan and she was able to get the care she needed for a miscarriage, and in some states, you can’t," he said.
WFAE reporters Kenneth Lee, Jr., James Farrell, Mona Dougani, Elvis Menayese and Julian Berger contributed.
