Over four million people in North Carolina have already voted, and in Orange County over 65 percent of registered voters have already cast their ballots. To find out why so many people want to vote early, and what early voters think about both the gubernatorial and presidential elections, I talked to voters Saturday, Oct. 31 at University Mall in Chapel Hill.
Why did voters decide to vote early instead of on Election Day?
“I felt like, this election, it was important to get our votes out earlier because of the coronavirus”
“Just to make sure my vote would count, not knowing if there would be long lines on Election Day”.
According to Google search data, after the second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, searches for “can I change my vote” surged to its highest point during the election. Were voters in Orange County concerned they might want to change their vote by Election Day?
“If something came out, then I could easily say that I maybe would have wanted to [change my vote]. But we’re as close as I can possibly get.”
“I was very confident in my choices.”
“I don’t think so, it’s been pretty clear.”
There are two main candidates in the race for governor in North Carolina, Roy Cooper, the Democratic incumbent, and Dan Forest, the Republican challenger. Of the two candidates, most voters who responded said they were voting for Roy Cooper. What were the reasons for voting Democratic?
“I think, for us, as my nephew being a young African-American boy, it will help him grow.”
“To me he has done his job well.”
“I think he has done a tremendous job handling the situation we’re in, with the pandemic.”
When it came to the presidential race, most voters who told me their preference said they voted for Joe Biden. What were the reasons voters chose Biden over Trump?
“I do not agree with the way President Trump has handled the virus.”
“No offense to Mr. Trump, but he’s all for himself, and how to make him and his family richer.”
“I love Joe Biden, I met Joe Biden … I just believe in him, and I think that’s the way I needed to go. That’s the way the world needs to go.”
“I just believe that these are the candidates that represent what I believe and what my family believes and that would actually protect us if anything happened.”
Photo courtesy of Phillip Pessar/Flickr
