Election Day 2024 in photos: Charlotte

By the numbers: Nearly 4.5 million North Carolinians voted during the early voting period; that's more than half of the state's 7.8 million registered voters.

• Of the early voters, about 1.5 million were registered unaffiliated, about 1.49 million were Republicans and about 1.45 million were Democrats — possibly indicating Democrats are more in need of a strong Election Day turnout than their GOP counterparts.
• Here are snapshots from polling places across Mecklenburg County. We'll be adding to this story throughout Election Day.

On Tuesday, Nov. 5 polls are open 6:30am–7:30pm.

• At 6:28am, people were lined up outside of Hawthorne Lane United Methodist Church in Elizabeth waiting for polls to open. — Ashley Mahoney

Around 10am at Precinct 212 near Mallard Creek, voters were waiting about an hour in line. The majority-Democratic precinct is one of the largest in the Charlotte area — of the more than 14,000 voters registered to it, more than half are Black.

• In 2020, more than 80% of the voters in precinct 212 cast a ballot for President Biden.

Why that matters: Turnout in Mecklenburg on Election Day could decide the state. Trump will likely run up margins in rural North Carolina, meaning Harris needs strong showings in precincts like 212.

— Michael Graff

As a mid-morning drizzle fell at Winding Creek Elementary in the Nevin community of north Charlotte, Jacquelyn Gates Singleton propped a Harris-Walz campaign sign on the back of a sedan. Her two little girls stood beside her as she held up her iPhone and hit record.

What they're saying: Serenity Singleton, 6, told the camera that today, they're voting for Rosa Parks, who her mom met when she was her age. Her other daughter Tilyn, 11, said she's voting for Betty Shabazz, Malcolm X's wife, whom her mom met when she was her age.

• Jacquelyn Gates Singleton then tilted the lens toward herself: "Today, I am filled with gratitude for those who educated and empowered me," she said.
• "My vote is a tribute to those who fought for me, and I hope it inspires you to honor this hard-won right and to make your voice heard. Let's go. My daughters, today, we vote."

Jacquelyn told Axios she's doing this for her oldest daughter, Genesis, who passed away two years ago from a terminal illness. Healthcare, Black maternal health and mortality rates are all reasons for her to vote in this election.

— Alexandria Sands

What tracks do you put on an "unprecedented Election Day" playlist?

• A little pop, a little country, some old school R&B — "Family music, for sure," Keanna Lewis (DJLO'KEE) told Axios.

The big picture: Lewis is one of several DJs in Charlotte hoping to lift up spirits and turn out voters with the power of music.

• The first song to get the vibes going: "Celebration" by Kool & The Gang.

— Alexandria Sands

At 4:30pm, a poll worker at the University City Regional Library said that the line extended across the parking lot pretty much all day, consisting mostly of students from nearby UNC Charlotte and first-time voters.

Zoom in: Local DJ Gabrielle Hardy (@gabsthefab) visited three polling places across the Charlotte area, including two churches, where she mostly played Christian and nondenominational music. "Now I'm here [her last stop of the day] with more of a younger crowd, first-time voters and people just getting off of work," she said at a University area polling location, while playing a mix of top hits. — Laura Barrero

Around dusk, Alexandra De Gravelle hopped out of a car at a Wilmore precinct just two hours before polls closed and only minutes after getting off a plane at Charlotte Douglas International.

What they're saying: She tells Axios it's important for young voters, like herself, to vote this election and pave the way for the future. That's why she changed her flight earlier to make it back to Charlotte in time to cast a ballot.

• "Being in a state like North Carolina, I think it's even more significant," she says. — Alexandria Sands

At the same Wilmore precinct, located in one of Charlotte's most transit-oriented neighborhoods, voters rode e-scooters, biked and even took taxis in the last hours of election night. — Alexandria Sands

At First Ward Creative Arts Academy in Uptown, Charlotte City Council At-Large Representative James "Smuggie" Mitchell had his grandnephews J.J. and Liam Higginbotham, ages 9 and 5 respectively, to stump for Democrats and pass out informational fliers.

• "This is pretty emotional for me that I have a 5-year-old and a 9-year-old who called Uncle James and said, 'we're interested in the voting process,'" Mitchell, a Charlotte native and West Charlotte High School graduate, tells Axios.

Go deeper: Scenes from polling places across the country

Editor's note: We're updating this story periodically throughout Election Day.