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Thousands of residents within the BlackBelt and nationwide went to the polls to take part in the Presidential general election on Tuesday..

For local voters, however, the ballot only contained six contested races: the presidential race, Alabama state school board, U.S. Representative, two Dallas County Commission races and a county school board position that had no qualified candidates.

Throughout the election day, community members in Selma went to the Selma COA Food Pantry and the Dallas County Courthouse among many other voting precincts to make their ballot count and their voices heard.

“It’s been steady,” said Suzanne Friday, Chief Inspector of the Dallas County Courthouse voting precinct. “But, I would love to see it a little heavier. We have had some students that have come through that were registering and many people that have come in with questions as to where they were supposed to be voting.”

As Friday told Selma Times-Journal about the voters coming in, there was one young lady coming out of the voting area at the Dallas County Courthouse, who made it her mission to achieve her goal of becoming a first-time voter.

“We drove all the way down here from Georgia, just so we could vote,” said Niesha Lasley, who is a recent resident of Selma who just relocated across state lines to Georgia. “I wanted to vote because I’ve never voted before so I wanted to actually contribute to that today.”

Lasley said having her official signature on the dotted line of the voter registration sheet made her feel like somebody and said she’s been studying the candidates on the ballot for a while now to know exactly which one that she would like to vote for.

“I feel like I made the right decision,” Lasley said. “I pray I made the right decision and once the next four years come around, I will vote.”

Involving the presidential election, the race was between Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz and Donald J. Trump/JD Vance. For the contested races, the U.S. Representative for the Seventh Congressional District, Terri A. Sewell faced off against Republican challenger Robin Litaker.

For the Member of the State Board of Education for District No. 5, Tonya Smith Chestnut, D-Selma, and Republican nominee David W. Perry were running. Dallas County Commissioner Vivian Rogers, Democratic incumbent in District 2, was challenged by independent Ronald Kenan Sawyer.

Democrat William Lumpkin and Independent Barry Lorenzo Allen were running for County Commission District 4 to replace Jan Justice, who did not seek reelection. As for the write-in race, members of the community had to write in who they wanted for the member of the Dallas County Board of Education for District No. 2, a position currently held by M. Flanagan-Brown.

Lasley said she is hopeful that the young people in Selma learn that through voting, they have a voice and that their vote means something significant to the ballot.

While at the Dallas County Courthouse, Foot Soldiers Park Poll Worker Michaela Turner said not only does voting for yourself give you a much closer look at the impact of the election but standing front and center helping others does as well.

“It actually feels great to be a poll worker for the election,” Turner said. “I’ve always seen and grew up experiencing my mom and dad going to vote and seeing people handling out ballots, seeing people go and vote and sit by themselves and stuff, I always thought it’s an experience that you want to have and experience for yourself.”

Turner said this is her third time voting and plans the next four years to come out and vote and continue to pay her contribution to society’s wellbeing by working the polls.