The first day of in-person early voting in North Carolina got off to a crisp fall start on Thursday, Oct. 17.
There was a steady stream of voters at Winston-Salem State University where there was roughly a 10-minute wait. A longer line formed outside the Miller Park Recreational Center early voting area at 7:45 a.m. where 20-minute wait times continued through the morning hours. The Lewisville Public Library topped the wait-time list, where it took an hour for people to cast their ballot.
Voters at all three locations were out in full force and motivated, but for different reasons.
When asked how she was feeling after casting her ballot at WSSU, Natasha Thompson said that it's a scary time with too much opposition and rhetoric, and that she looks forward to election season being over.
"I think United States is at risk," said Thompson. "You know, with all that's going on, and then when other countries see the division that's here, we lose credibility."
In Lewisville, John Livingston said he knows that a lot of young people like him are feeling disenfranchised with the way the last 10 years have gone in this country. But he said even though full-time work or school often makes voting a challenge, he's a strong advocate.
"I'm voting every primary," he said. "I'm voting in every election because I think that it's important for everyone to have their voices heard."
At the Miller Park Recreation Center, 70-year-old James Eubanks said he's been registered to vote since he was 18, and he is particularly concerned about the country's trajectory since 2016.
"The state of North Carolina is embarrassing, everything from the bathroom bill to now the abortion problem," said Eubanks. "So I think it's time to get serious and come in and vote."
Back at Winston-Salem State, Lennetta Bartley and her husband Joe are wearing their WSSU alumni jackets.
"What's motivated me is just having rights to vote and also thinking about my ancestors and basically just tired of the dismal, visceral climate that we're living in right now, and we need to change it and do things more positive and together," said Lennetta Bartley.
Her husband, Joe, also dressed in WSSU garb, agreed.
"We need a change," he said. "We need a new focus. We need a youth focus. And we need to change what's happening in our country right now."