If you’re like me, you spend a good part of your time explaining to friends and family why voting matters. 

Well– North Carolinians didn’t need the memo for this year’s primary election. They showed up, they showed up big, and they set the tone for what’s looking like a huge election year. 

North Carolina set a turnout record. More than 1.5 million people cast a ballot– most ever for a midterm primary in our state. 

And a majority of those voters decided to vote with Democrats. More than 800,000 people voted for Democrats– a 30% increase compared to the last midterm election in 2022. Early voting data also showed that a majority of unaffiliated voters (55%) chose a Democratic ballot. Meanwhile, Republicans saw an 18% drop in turnout. 

And North Carolinians didn’t just vote– they voted early, indicating a level of enthusiasm that we haven’t seen in a while. More than 710,000 North Carolinians voted early– way higher than the last primary election in 2022, and even higher than presidential primaries in 2024. 

Folks are motivated right now, but if you do need another “every vote matters” story for the kitchen table this year, look to the Triad. 

The race for State Senate District 26 was hotly contested– so much so that Republicans ended up spending $10 million to help Senate leader Phil Berger maintain his seat.

$10 million is a lot of money in any context. But in a primary election for a state senate seat? A race that roughly 20,000 people were expected to vote? Spending like that is unheard of. That means a very small number of people likely saw a very high number of vicious attack ads. It’s the sort of advertising barrage that could turn people off from voting altogether. 

But despite all the noise, North Carolina voters still showed up. They said no to cynicism and yes to accountability. And as it stands right now– the challenger is winning by two votes. Two. There are still provisional and absentee ballots to be counted, and a recount is sure to follow, but the slim margin speaks to the power of showing up for each and every election. 

Your vote, your voice, has never mattered more. The strangers you pass on the street share your frustration. Your neighbors share your hope. You can feel it in the air that people are ready for change. 

In the words of one Charlotte voter: “I feel like things are going to start turning around for the positive.”

If we all show up like this again in November, things really will turn around. Time to get to work to make that happen.