UNION COUNTY, N.C. — When polls opened across the state Tuesday morning, thousands of North Carolina voters went to polling places, selecting candidates to lead cities, towns and counties across the state.

In Union County, there were roughly 30 races for the county’s roughly 160,000 registered voters to weigh in on Tuesday.

Matt Majesky was one of those voters, voting at his precinct, Hemby Bridge Elementary School.

What You Need To Know

Voters across the state head to the polls to decide dozens of local elections

Union County had roughly 30 local and municipal races to decide Tuesday

In afternoon update, county says more than 7,000 people had voted

Majesky, a local business owner in Indian Trail, said he’s been voting regularly in local elections since 2017.

“I kind of learned a lot about the people who control decisions and such in our community, and I learned about voting, and I’ve been voting in our community ever since,” Majesky explained.

Before 2017, he said he was not a regular voter. But, moving to Union County and opening his first business in Indian Trail caused a change in his thinking. 

“This is my first-ever brick and mortar business. So, I wanted to meet the mayor, and I wanted to be involved in the town. Because being the type of business that I am, we’re heavily involved in the community, and we try to anchor ourselves in,” Majesky said on the way to the polls.

Majesky and his wife own a martial arts training center in Indian Trail. Once he started the business, Majesky said he wanted to learn more about his local leaders and how they would impact his business.

It is the reason he made sure to make time on Tuesday to vote in the elections he was eligible to participate.

“It went awesome! Not very many people in there, just went in there — I mean I had a lot of excitement, had a lot of energy, I love voting day. Because, when you vote for the people that you see right outside the building, it gives you a lot of confidence that you’re voting for the right ones,” Majesky said.

He added he was not discouraged by a lack of fellow voters, since he can make his own schedule in the morning. Majesky said his martial arts studio starts getting busy at around 1:30 p.m. as children finish the school day.

“I care a lot about our community. I know that if I go cast a vote, it can definitely have an impact on the quality of life that we have for friends and family and the community we live in,” Majesky said after getting in his car to head off to his next errand.

The Union County Board of Elections staff said operations at its 46 precincts were running smoothly. By 4 p.m., data posted to the Board of Elections website said 7,122 people had voted on Tuesday. Polls remain open in Union County until 7:30 p.m. 

Union County had 2,855 people vote early, according to Board of Elections staff.