North Carolina voters are enthusiastic about the 2022 midterms but pessimistic about the state of politics, according to a recent Meredith College poll.
Overall turnout this year should be robust, with 87 percent of respondents to the recent survey saying they're likely to cast ballots.
While abortion rights and the economy are top issues for voters, Meredith Poll Director David McLennan says a major motivator is intense antipathy between Democrats and Republicans.
"So, people really want to go out and beat the other team," he explained.
At the same time, most poll respondents said they believe political polarization has worsened and that a viable third party would be better than the two major parties.
"People think, 'I wanna win in the midterms elections of 2022 but I'm not real happy with how the country is so divided,'" he said.
With younger voters increasingly registering as unaffiliated, McLennan says a third party could one day become a reality.
"A lot of people could simply at some point just decide they're going to move away from the parties,” he said, “Stop giving money."
While less enthusiastic than older voters, McLennan says turnout among voters under 40 could be a key factor in North Carolina's tight races.