‘If you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice’: Charlotte voters cite civic duty
Some Charlotte voters woke up early to cast their ballots at the Lake Wylie Elementary School precinct Tuesday morning in this year’s primary election to decide candidates in several key local and state races.
Zach Zubow said he was one of those voters because he was motivated to make sure candidates he supported made it to the November election.
“I listened to (county Sheriff) Garry McFadden talk about the ICE raids in Charlotte,” Zubow said. “I thought he seemed like he was communicating with everybody he needed to at that time.”
Voters were determining which candidates will move on to elections in November, at both the local and state level. Several local races were competitive, including the race for sheriff.
At the state level, voters had a chance to upset some controversial Democratic incumbents in the North Carolina legislature who came under fire for siding with the GOP. And Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley won and will face off to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis.
Zubow continued an election tradition by bringing his son Beckett with him, who was off from school. Beckett said he likes handing the poll worker his dad’s ballot and getting a sticker afterward, although it is boring, he admitted.
Patrick Burris, the precinct judge, said there were about 25 voters by 8 a.m., an unusually slow morning. The precinct typically gets anywhere from 50 to 100 voters by that point, but he suspects there were more early voters this year.
Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. and voting lasts until 7:30 p.m.
Most people who showed up wanted to switch party affiliations, Burris said. But that can’t be done on Election Day. He hopes by the time polls close the precinct sees closer to the usual 300 voters.
“It’s just an opportunity to serve and just hoping that people will turn out,” Burris said. “That people will exercise their right.”
Slow turnout in the morning
Shirley Allen, the precinct judge at Charlotte Church of Pentecost on Nations Ford Road, and Brice Wentz, at Southview Recreation Center, said the sites also had unusually low morning turnout. Both agreed it was likely because of early voting.
The recreation center only had 19 voters just before 10 a.m., Wentz said. But he can’t blame those who voted early, since he also took advantage of that option this year, he said.
Despite the slow Election Day turnout, he said he’s happy to be back at a precinct where he’s worked the last 15 years.
Caroline Fountain, the vice precinct judge at the Central Piedmont Community College Harper campus in south Charlotte, said she was confident more people would show up in the evening after work after a light morning. This is her third election at the precinct.
“I love doing it because I’m seeing people come out, and they are really using their right to vote,” Fountain said.
‘If you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice’
Wanda Abraham, who was voting with her 18-year-old granddaughter at the recreation center, said it’s important to vote.
“If you don’t vote, you don’t have a voice,” Abraham said.
Abraham said she’s been living in Charlotte for 65 years and has made a point to vote in every election since turning 18. Her granddaughter said she felt it was an accomplishment to vote for the first time.
She wouldn’t say who she voted for, jokingly saying she couldn’t remember the candidates’ names, but always makes sure to vote for the best “for the job.”
LaToya Young, a voter at the CPCC campus, said she also thought it was important to vote. That’s especially true for local elections, since those voted into office end up impacting people’s lives, Young said.
“I just hope everyone gets out and vote,” Young said.
Long lines didn’t form during the afternoon rush hour, but precinct leaders like Shannon Hunter were pleased with the turnout.
“It’s just the primary, but this is what sets the precedent for November,” said Hunter, chief judge for Precinct 107 at Rockwell AME Zion Church.
More than 400 people voted at the location, and Hunter expects an even larger turnout in November. “That’s a small precinct, so that’s a lot of turnout for us,” she said.
Across town at Highland Hill Montessori, NoDa resident Alex Murray walked into Precinct 30 to fulfill what he felt was a civic duty.
“We need to get everybody involved in the process,” Murray said. “And this is part of the process, even in the primaries.”
Despite his own commitment, Murray noted a lack of excitement among other voters, which he attributed to exhaustion. “I tell you what I am worried about: apathy,” he said. “I’m very concerned about voter apathy because people are just exhausted.”
First-time voters
Presley Lima, 18, voted for the first time on Tuesday at the Berewick Recreation Center, casting her ballot for Cooper. She said he stuck out to her because he advocates for people, rather than companies. She said she was excited to vote for the first time, but also nervous.
Because of “the researching part of it,” Lima said. “I had trouble choosing.”
Her parents and school taught her the importance of voting, she said.
“Every voice matters, even if you think it doesn’t,” Lima said. “We all have a say in what goes on with how we live.”
While it wasn’t her first time voting in an election, it was Teresa Hardy’s first time ever voting in a primary, she said. Standing outside the West Charlotte Recreation Center, Hardy said she came out because of the “political environment.”
Asked if she meant nationally or locally, Hardy said she thinks it all ties together.
Precinct judge Machetta Hayes said the recreation center had about 250 voters by noon. But that’s a bit lighter compared to past years. It’s typically a busy precinct, she said, so she expected more voters.
Either way, she’s enjoyed working elections the last six years.
“I like to serve,” Hayes said. “It’s my love language.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 8:54 AM.
