Voters take their time to make decisions, split tickets

More anecdotes from the polls:

Mike Yocum, an information technology professional in Cary, said he only recently decided to vote for President Barack Obama, like he did in 2008. What swayed his decision was Bill Clinton's speech at Pullen Park in Raleigh on Sunday.

"He mentioned that it takes more than four years to fix the economy, and I think he's right," Yocum said. 

Larry Harrington Jr. owns a restaurant called Larry's Southern Kitchen in Garner. Harrington, who is African American, said the economy has taken a toll on his business, and that weighed heavily on his mind as he considered who to support for president. He ended up voting Democrat at the top of the ticket, but he broke with the party in a couple down-ballot races and said he's still unsure whether Obama can lead economic recovery better than Mitt Romney.

"It really felt like a toss-up," Harrington said. "I think Obama deserves a chance, but maybe Romney does too. I just went with my gut feeling."

--Austin Baird, staff writer