Polls close at 3 p.m., with a steady stream of Bull City residents casting their votes at the Durham County Main Library.
"It's a civic duty," said Anthony Foster, a Durham voter.
"I think it's important for me to be politically active," added Danyelle Smith. "I wanted to use my voice."
Bob Williams emphasized that voting is "a hallmark of this country," and everyone should exercise that right.
Data analysis showed that early voting through Thursday was about 24% higher than at the same point in the 2022 midterm primaries-and even surpassed the 2024 presidential primaries. For context, the 2022 midterm primaries had the highest turnout for a midterm primary in the state in 20 years.
According to the State Auditor's Office, there is a 6% increase in the number of early voting sites open compared to the 2022 primary election.
Some voters also reacted to the "massive" strikes by the U.S. and Israel on Iran. Victoria Neff said the events added urgency to her decision to vote.
"There was certainly a sense of urgency when I woke up this morning," she said.
Voters encouraged others to participate on Tuesday, March 3, if they miss early voting.
North Carolina has drawn a larger focus on the national scale. Dr. Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University, told Eyewitness News that the state's voters have followed suit.
"North Carolina gets an incredible amount of national attention because it is a rare purple state in this country, and voters are picking up on that trend. They are showing up more. They're becoming more engaged in the process. I mean, the State Senate District 26 we keep talking about was in The New York Times. When was the last time a state Senate District in North Carolina ended up in The New York Times? Rarely, if ever," said Cooper, referring to the Republican primary between Senate President Phil Berger and Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.
ABC11's Michael Perchick contributed to this report.