MORGAN COUNTY — Election Day brought few surprises, save one — the voter turnout on election day. In the lead-up to Tuesday’s election, Morgan County saw plenty of early voting, with a total of 23,623 citizens casting their ballots, representing 42.8 percent of registered voters.
On Election Day, another 12,099 voters made their way to one of the 14 vote centers across the county, with lines and wait-times reported at nearly every location. But patience was the order of the day, and voter sentiments were reportedly marked by calm, resolve and civic duty.
In total, 35,722 county voters cast a ballot, pushing total turnout to 64.7 percent, well below the 69.7 percent in 2020.
Exit polling
So, why did Anessa Waddell come out to vote?
“Oh, come on now,” she said. “You already know that.”
The Mooresville resident, like most voters The Correspondent spoke with, came out for one main reason — to choose the next president of the United States.
Despite a handful of competitive local elections, like school board and county council, people were most interested in the race between former president Donald Trump and current vice president Kamala Harris.
And many of them waited quite a while to make sure their voices were heard.
At Monrovia Christian Church, dozens of voters lined up outside the door and across the parking lot, waiting between 45 minutes and an hour to cast their votes.
“I voted for Trump!” one woman said as she hurried out of the polling location.
“Straight Republican,” another man said and quickly walked away.
Most voters weren’t so loud and proud about their ballots, with many expressing nervousness and anxiety over the election and the state of the country.
“I’m glad it’s over,” a Monrovia resident said. “I hope the ability to have a conversation with people who disagree with each other comes back to our country.”
Another Monrovia resident said he voted for a mix of political parties on his ballot. When asked why he came out to vote, he said it was because it “gives me the right to complain.”
At times, the county administration building in downtown Martinsville was steady but reportedly less busy than the rest of the county, where long lines were the norm for most of the day.
Two women, speaking almost under their breath, admitted to voting for Harris in deep red Morgan County. They said they felt anxious about the election no matter the winner.
“I just want my daughters to be safe,” one of the women said.
Cole Hurlbert, a Martinsville resident, mainly came out to “keep a crazy person (Trump) out of the White House,” but he also said he was concerned about the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville school board races. He said he voted for the incumbents — Matt Hankins, Heather Staggs and Jacque Deckard — out of worry about the challengers, whom he referred to as “purple people.”
“I know there are some people running who want to ban certain books and push religion in schools,” Hurlbert said. “Nothing against religion, I just think those should be separate worlds.”
Almost immediately after the proud Harris voter walked away, another Martinsville resident walked out of the administration building. When asked if he wanted to participate in an exit poll, the man slowly began to smile, mischief in his face.
“I almost didn’t vote,” the man began. “I thought it might be a waste of time because the Democrat Party is going to try to cheat the system again.”
At Spring Hill Church in Mooresville, voters once again patiently waited to participate in American democracy. Signs warning voters of long vote lines and lists of other voting locations were posted at the entrance.
A Martinsville resident who voted at the church was, like many other voters, pretty private about the choices he made on his ballot, but thought it was important to cast a ballot.
“Everybody should come out to vote,” he said. “I think (the election) is gonna be close. I hope it’s not.”
A Mooresville resident voting at the same location said even though he doesn’t identify with either party, he cast his vote for Trump. He said the former president was a “solid businessman” and good for the economy.
“But I don’t like the guy,” he said.
