At the Travis County Granger Building, one of 143 Election Day polling locations in the county, several dozen people stood in line mid-afternoon on Nov. 6. Jordan Teague, a first-time voter, said he has been eligible to vote in the last four elections, but something “felt different” this year. “I want my voice to be represented,” he said. “Currently, issues I support and what I believe aren’t represented by [elected officials] in Texas.” Teague said he was primarily motivated to cast his first ballot because of the United States Senate race. Similarly, Diana Stephens cited the race between Ted Cruz and Beto O'Rourke as the main reason she is eager to vote this year. “I’m voting because someone is going to be making decisions about the way that our country is run,” Stephens said. “I would rather those decisions be made by somebody who represents what I want to have happen rather than somebody whose values don’t reflect mine.” Stephens said she turned 18 on Nov. 4, 2008, and has voted in nearly every election since. She said that the environment and healthcare are key issues she cares about. Second-time voter Cody Vitez said he decided to participate in the midterm election because he wanted his voice to be heard. “I want input,” he said. “I want to have my say.” Ninety-four percent of Travis County residents are registered to vote in the midterm election. At the close of early voting on Nov. 2, 47.3 percent of registered voters had participated. As of 3 p.m. Nov. 6, Travis County reported that an additional 71,032 people had voted on Election Day. “I don’t think we used to actually appreciate how powerful voting is,” Vitez said. “More than anything, I think people now understand how important it is to vote.”