One of the first people in line at a northeast Roanoke precinct was Lauryn Marshall, a first-time voter.
“This vote is very important to our future," Marshall said. "I really hope people do the right thing.”
For city voter John DiLauro, the decision came down to asking if people were better off now than four years ago.
"And if the answer to that question is yes, that you are better off, then vote blue. If the answer to that question is no and you think we need a change in the guard, vote red," DiLauro explained.
Roanoke is choosing a mayor and three members of city council this year. And those local issues were very important to Shaka Sydnor. He brought his three little boys to the polls.
“For me it's schools," Sydnor said. "I think leadership, just modeling leadership and civility sort of a return to civility is what I'm thinking about.”
David W. Wilson would also like to see more civil discussions of the issues facing the country.
“We didn't used to have this problem. You know, you could disagree with somebody on politics and still go have dinner, and now people don't do that. They're just so militant,” Wilson said.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.