North Texans determined to be heard on final day of early voting: Long lines, first votes, new voices

The lines were long. How long? The wait stretched to two hours in some places. 

On the final day of early voting, North Texans showed that making their vote count was worth every second.

At Tarrant County College's Southeast Campus, an aerial view captured a line of voters wrapping around the building. On the ground, people scrolled through their phones, waiting patiently for their turn at the ballot box.

As closing time approached, the crowd continued to swell. So did the determination.

"If you want to see some kind of change, you got to vote for it essentially," said Darian Hopkins, who came to the polls with Aly Carrillo.

For Kenneth Eze, voting meant turning opinions into action.

"Kind of to put my money where my mouth is. I feel like I have a lot of opinions," he said.

Cynthia Eze saw an opportunity for younger generations to be heard.

"And I think especially as being young adults, we have an important voice to give out there," she said.

First votes, lasting impressions

About 27 miles away, at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, the focus was on a different kind of voter turnout: young adults discovering the power of the ballot, many for the first time.

For 18-year-old Moriah Chambers, casting her first vote was more than checking a box. It was a milestone. She voted in Fort Worth but came to support others taking the same step.

"I never did it before. High school, you do your student council type stuff," Chambers said. It was different. I feel good, though."

The experience also came with a lesson in independence.

"I feel older now. I'm 18," she said, explaining that conversations with her mother helped her learn to make her own political decisions without pressure from others.

Fellow student Phillip Glenn Douglas grew up watching his mother vote, but said his family rarely discussed the importance of participating in elections.

"I mean, my mom would take me to go voting, but my family, we really haven't had a sit-down conversation about the importance of voting and why you should vote," Douglas said.

His own voting experience ended with a provisional ballot, but not discouragement. Douglas said he knows the obstacles will clear out of his way for the next election. His presence, the student maintained, was still needed in the process.

Building a generation of voters

Paul Quinn College leaders say getting students to the polls is only part of the mission. Helping them understand their influence is just as important.

"I think that the age of 18 to 35 is the most important election or voting group," said Maurice West, the college's dean of men and external affairs. "Many of them are unsure, they're uninformed, and they're new to it."

The college has hosted a series of voter education events, encouraging student leaders and athletes to become more involved in civic life.

Basketball, volleyball, soccer, and track athletes participated in the latest effort.

"We engage our students, not just from a classroom standpoint, but we want to make our students civically engaged as well," Brian Evans said.

Evans, the Vice-President of Student Experience and Athletics, had athletes dress in their travel gear so they'd get noticed at the polls.

Nonprofit advocates also joined the students, including Black Girls Govern, supported by Party at the Polls.

Harlie Williams, founder of Black Girls Govern and a Harvard student, said the reward was visible on the faces of first-time voters.

"They just said that they felt accomplished. It was their first time voting and they actually felt like it meant something," Williams said.

For Williams, the goal extends beyond any single election or candidate. It's about making young voters feel empowered.

A vote worth waiting for

Back in Tarrant County, the final hours of early voting brought more waiting and more voters unwilling to walk away.

At Paul Quinn, first-time voters left with something they didn't have when they arrived: firsthand experience in the democratic process.

"Just being able to be in the room and learn about it and be able to participate in certain things like marching and being in a civic education conversation, I believe that was such a beautiful thing," Douglass said.