Stephanie Capps and daughter Shelby were all smiles after voting on Election Day in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Clayton Henkel)
For Stephanie Capps there was no more important assignment Tuesday than modeling democracy in action for her daughter.
Capps brought her nine-year-old to the Thomas G. Crowder Woodland Center in Raleigh, North Carolina to cast her ballot in person on Election Day.
“Because a little over 100 years ago, women couldn’t vote,” Capps shared. “And so, we talked about how it’s really important for her to learn to vote. How it’s really important and she gets to have that right, hopefully, in the future. And so, that’s why I wanted to model that today with her.”
While too young to cast her own ballot, Shelby, who was decked out in a patriotic sweater for the occasion, said she enjoyed participating.
“It was good,” said Shelby, sporting a new ‘Future voter’ sticker.
Because dozens of schools serve as voting sites on Election Day, it also means that Shelby and other students in Wake County have a day off from school – something any nine-year-old might vote for.
Stephanie is also teaching her daughter about election night expectations. A definitive outcome in the closely watched presidential race may not come this evening in a nation so evenly divided.
“I’m hoping, but I’m not expecting it,” said Capps. “The last one, I went to bed thinking it was one thing and then I woke up the next morning it was another.”
But Capps said she is doing her best to not get overly anxious.
“I don’t have a lot of anxiety. Throughout history I’ve learned, it will be what it will be. And all I can do is vote and share, do my little part. And hopefully, things will go well for my daughter in the future.”
The North Carolina State Board of Elections anticipates one million votes will occur today. That’s in addition to the more than 4.2 million people who voted in person during the early voting period.
The polls are open until 7:30 pm. Eligible voters can find their Election Day polling location on the state Board of Elections’ Voter Search page. Voters who asked for an absentee ballot, but have yet to mail it in, should deliver it in person to their county board of elections office before 7:30 this evening, or simply throw it away and go vote in person at their local precinct.