In today’s email, we’ve got an update on NC’s historic early voting turnout, and an inspiring story about a first-time voter who tried and failed and then tried again, but first:

We begin every Monday with Cardinal & Pine’s guide to the week ahead. We call it “3 things happening in NC.” 

I don’t have to tell you that Election Day is Tuesday. Every election is important in its way. This one is a doozy though. 

As Cardinal & Pine contributor Ryan Pitkin wrote today, some communities in the state are taking steps to make sure it’s as easy as possible for voters. 

Take a look at the NC cities and towns offering free public transit on Election Day.

Today’s “3 things happening” also includes a preview of college basketball’s long-awaited return and a cool opportunity to learn more about the Cherokee history of our state. 

Sasha Dix holds his, “I voted” sticker after voting at T.C. Roberson High School on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Asheville, N.C. Some North Carolina cities are offering free transit to the polls in 2026. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek, File)

Thanks for reading Cardinal & Pine. If this newsletter helps you, share it with your friends and fam. 

Here’s what’s in it today: 

Susan Marotti took this view from Johnnie Mercers Pier at Wrightsville Beach.

I like to remind people that November is still a solid time to go to the beach. The water isn’t that cold yet! 😂

Do you have a View from NC to share? Send it to us!

Seagrove has more than 100 practicing potters in its small footprint, part of a long history of heritage crafts in North Carolina. (Seagrove, NC)

Artificial intelligence can’t make pottery.

I mean, it can tell you how to make pottery. But the robots don’t have hands yet, so we’re still tops. 

The expansion of our would-be robot overlords has a lot of folks wanting human-made things, the kinds of crafts that families have spent generations painstakingly mastering. 

Our new guide takes a look at the North Carolina makers pushing back against AI. We’ve spotlighted some excellent spots in the Tar Heel State to buy and learn about heritage crafts, from the potters of Seagrove to the Cherokee trades at the Qualla Arts & Craft Mutual.

Read our guide here and share.

More at Cardinal & Pine:

1. North Carolina sets record for early voting turnout. WCNC

“At least one-third of eligible North Carolina residents cast ballots before Election Day, led by Democrats and unaffiliated voters.”

2. As mental health needs grow in NC prisons, state leaders look to improve care after release. North Carolina Health News

“About 4,700 people with mental health diagnoses leave state prisons each year. A new committee will explore ways to strengthen treatment and support as they transition back into their communities.”

3. A lackluster response to North Carolina flooding disasters is eroding Republican support in one county. The Guardian

“A lackluster response by the Trump administration to Hurricane Helene is contributing mightily to an impending Republican loss in North Carolina’s 11th congressional district in the western mountains.”

4. US Army reportedly practiced digging mass graves at military base in North Carolina. WBTV

“The mass graves were dug at Fort Bragg as part of Phase II of Operation Dragon Covenant. The exercise reportedly served as a ‘critical test of concept to validate the feasibility of battlefield temporary interment.’”

House Minority Leader Robert Reives, D-Chatham, right, speaks during a rally protesting a proposed redistricting map Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Seward)

I usually keep this space apolitical. But being the writer of this newsletter has its perks. 

Today, I wrote about my experience on the last day of early voting Saturday in North Carolina, and why I found it restoring. 

I watched a first-time voter, a student at a Triangle university, get turned away at the polls after spending close to an hour in line. She was missing what she needed to do same-day registration. 

On my way out of the polls, I saw that she’d returned. She’d gotten what she needed and returned to that long, winding line to try again. 

Excuse my language, but I think that’s badass. 

In this country, in the modern age, most of us are fortunate that voting is a safe, occasionally boring, task. Battling the tedium, having the guts to give a damn, is in my view one of the most impressive things a person can do. 

So this last column before Election Day is for that first-time voter I saw Saturday. Share it with anyone you think needs the inspiration. 

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Billy Ball. I’m an NC native and journalist. I tend to lean left on opinion, but I lean no way on facts. Today’s edition includes stories from Ryan Pitkin and Nicole Letts. It was edited by Crystal Niforos.

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