Voters of North Carolina

Voters at NC Central University polling place during early voting on Oct. 30, 2020 Andrea Henderson and Michaela Williams, both 18 Durham College students, First time voters I feel like it’s very important to vote. If you don’t vote it’s like you don’t care how you live. It’s a very important year because of the…

William Itoka Durham, NC Senior, Political Science, North Carolina Central University The reason I vote is because four years ago a lot of people thought their vote didn’t matter. There’s a lot more on the ballot than just the big elections. There’s the Senate, there’s the Commissioner of Insurance, there’s Governor. I wanted to go…

Tomika Kenkion, 34 Educator Voting curbside in Durham with her parents and nieces As an educator, I think it’s important to exercise my right to vote so I can be a model for my students. And also for their future – especially in this election. The outcome of this election will greatly impact their future.…

Patricia Dyette, 66 Fayetteville, NC  It was a good feeling. It’s a good vibe out here. People are excited. I don’t know who they’re voting for, but they’re excited to vote. It’s important to me to vote because of my ancestors. My ancestors died for the right. Our rights have blood on them. We just…

Tara Fikes, 59 Durham It means everything to have Kamala Harris running for vice president. She just epitomizes what the sisterhood is all about. Leadership. Service. She’s the perfect role model. It means everything. So we pull out the pearls, we get the t-shirt, we wear it proudly when we come and vote. I registered…

Frank Thompson, 38 Fayetteville, NC I voted with confidence. This is the first time I fully looked and my candidates and took the time to know what people stood for. I have family that came here on the bottom of ships from Africa. They could not vote. They could pick cotton under tyranny, but they…

Rakeem Jones, 31 Fayetteville, NC I voted because I just felt like it was the next step. Much of the work for the past couple of months has been protesting. Now that we’ve protested, I think that makes the vote stronger. We’re active. We’re powerful. It’s my right and my duty to vote. The next…

Maria Adams Fayetteville I’ve been working at the polls on Saturdays, helping our community vote safely during the pandemic. People kept asking for “I Voted” stickers, but they aren’t handing them out this year because of COVID. I had “I Voted” stickers printed off and I’ve been handing them out and people absolutely love it…

Myah Warren, 22 Fayetteville, NC After George Floyd was killed I was at a demonstration in Bronco square. I ended up going viral – I went live on Facebook and there were 7,500 people watching. After that, people just started coming to me, saying “you’re the voice for the community”. Now I’m a commissioner on…

Ruth M. Gee, 68 Northampton County, NC I feel like it’s important because voting is a privilege. People died for it. People are still fighting for it, even today. I’m 68 and I’ve been voting since I was 18. I’ve never missed an election – ever. Being a woman, a black woman, a human being…

Heidi Eddraze and Adnane Ouled College Students Durham, NC I felt more confident going inside a building to vote when the president wasn’t the president yet, I felt safer to be honest. With everything going on right now, I didn’t feel as safe going in to vote with all the racism going on and wearing…

James L. Thomas III, 20 First time voter Fayetteville, NC  I had to vote in person because my parents, my dad’s like 60, my mom’s 55. And during that time they were fighting for their rights to vote and then just doing that it felt good.  It felt like I could relate a little bit…

Naomi and Arthur Pinder Warrenton, NC Rain, snow, sleet or hail, I’ve never missed an election. My mother, Bertha Reid, told my what my ancestors went through, with the riots and beating and hanging. And so she said, “you go vote – I don’t care how you vote, but you get out and vote”.  Naomi…

Charles Rodman, 71 Raleigh, NC I’m here today to assist people in voting.  I retired from the military after serving 20 years and I’m a Vietnam veteran.  I’ve been working with the voter coalition for probably about 10 years.   This day means victory for me to vote.  Our forefathers put in work for this and…

Pearlean Richardson, 58 Warrenton, NC Member of Haliwa-Saponi Tribe I voted on the first day of early voting. I was recruited by my nephew to come volunteer at the polls today. It’s been an experience, and it’s been a good one! I’ve met some new friends – I’m always open to new experiences, new friends…

Peondora Harrington, 28 Organizer and Activist Fayetteville, NC It first started with the protest that we did after George Floyd died. Most people would go to a protest and then go home. I started researching things. Every problem we have, there’s a root of that problem. When I did that research it got me to…

Darius Kearney Durham, NC I had to come out and vote, I didn’t in 2016. I had to come and vote because I felt like there was a lot of division with the president we have today.  I felt like Biden would be the one that unite everyone in this country.  They said that Trump…

Katelynn Mundell, 21 Pembroke, NC I am a woman of alpha Sigma alpha on UNC Pembroke campus. And I voted democratic today. I was expecting it to be a line and have people bothering me, like the bigger cities. It was really smooth. We went in and got out within like 10, 15 minutes.  I…

Darrius Ward Morrisville, NC I feel like republicans, they’ve done a lot of corrupt stuff.  I felt like I did my part voting democrat.  I mean, it’s now or never.  I ain’t gonna lie, both of them got kind of good things and bad things.  I was born a democrat, so if I don’t vote…

Briani Weeks Durham, NC I had a couple of strong feelings about voting. First of all, I was really, really excited to be able to participate in something so historical, especially at this time right now in our nation. I kind of felt privileged, some of my ancestors were not able to have this right…