Voters made voices heard in key elections in Wake County municipalities: Your Voice, Your Vote
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Standing outside the Herbert C. Young Community Center in Cary, volunteers were making their last pitch to voters before they cast their ballots.
"It matters where you live and how where you live is governed. And I think it's just gotten very important. We have serious issues with neighborhood changes into non-affordable living as opposed to bringing in affordable housing. We've got a lot of issues we need to work on," said Steven Walker, a volunteer with the Wake County Democratic Party.
"Impact starts at the local level, and that's where you see results. And I think it's especially important for the new generation to be just as active because we are inheriting, whether it's a town or an economy, we are inheriting that in the future," said Anna Claire, a volunteer with the Wake County Republican Party.
In Cary, there were three council seats up on the ballot.
In District A, challenger Brittany Richards was up big on incumbent Jennifer Robinson with 41 of 43 precincts reporting.
"It's a special place to live. And I ran on the message of we need to protect what makes it special. And for me, that was our tree canopy and green spaces," Richards said Tuesday night. "It's our high-quality town services. It's making sure that our community stays welcoming and inclusive for everyone."
Bella Huang appeared in command over Renee Miller in District C.
"Cary's the place where I realized my American dream," Huang said Tuesday night. "And Cary is such a great place to raise my family and start a small business. And I heard so many voters because we knocked on thousands of doors, they said they need more infrastructure investment. Sidewalks, crosswalks, connected greenways, more affordable housing."
An at-large seat looked as if it would go to incumbent Carissa Johnson by a wide margin over challenger Marjorie Eastman.
"This entire race folks tried to bring national politics and state and national level vitriol into it," Johnson said Tuesday night. "Instead, we focused on our neighbors. We focused on Cary. I can tell you, this community has given me everything in the last 30 years. So I had to do was keep digging deep and talking about my neighbors and talking about Cary and what Cary needs."
All results remain unofficial.
Though these elections are nonpartisan, the candidate backed by the Wake County Democratic Party appeared to win all three Cary races.
Both Walker and Claire have been encouraged by voter participation rates, which typically lag during off-cycle years. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, municipal elections turnout in September was 7.99%, while increasing to 11.96% in October races.
"I'm here 26 years. I'm involved in politics more here vs. when I was in Russia. So in my heart, it just breaks out when I see that people don't fulfill their civic duties," said Natalya Androsova, who lives in Raleigh but was volunteering in support of the Wake County Republican Party.
"I think things have changed dramatically, and people are now more motivated to take action, and they're doing that at the polling place. The turnout is much higher for a municipal election than it has been in the past," said Tim Devinney, a volunteer with the Wake County Democratic Party.
"I think if you can make a difference anywhere, you have to start at home. We have neighbors and friends, and we're the obnoxious couple that will call and say, 'We don't care who you're voting for. You have to go vote. It has to be a priority,'" said Cary resident Ashley Scheibis.
Ashley and Paul Scheibis showed up to vote Tuesday afternoon.
"We can't expect to have any effect on real legislation and real things that are going to happen and affect our country and our children's future if we're not voting for people right now, today at home, because these are the people that are going to pave their way to Washington," said Scheibis.
Key issues that drew attention in Cary included the town budget, property taxes, and environmental protections.
"People are struggling. People are very dissatisfied with the state of our country. Every time I go to the grocery store and I see the bill, I don't know how people are doing this, and my husband's gainfully employed. You've got a lot of families here who I think are really feeling the changes, and it's hitting their pocketbooks and it's hitting their homes," said Scheibis.
There was also a big mayoral contest in Zebulon. Eastern Wake County is growing quickly, so campaign workers and volunteers were hoping for a large turnout as the incumbent mayor is facing four opponents.
Jessica Daniels Harrison emerged from the field with 34.4% of the vote. Incumbent Mayor Glenn York finished fourth, getting just 57 votes, far fewer than the top three finishers.
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