The highly anticipated day arrived at last.

A steady steam of people entered the First Baptist Church of Elon May 8 to cast their votes in the North Carolina Primary Elections. This year’s ballot prompted voters to indicate their support or opposition of Amendment One, a proposed addition to the North Carolina State Constitution defining marriage as an exclusively heterosexual union and revoking the legal rights and recognition of all unmarried couples.

The amendment passed with 61 percent of the state voting in favor and 39 percent of the state voting in opposition. The state's views are in largely in accordance with those of Alamance County, where 64 percent voted in favor of Amendment One with 36 percent against.

In the past several months, the amendment became a polarizing issue within the state. Those in opposition organized campaigns and rallies to raise awareness of the amendment’s possible consequences in the hope of encouraging North Carolina residents to vote against it. But those in support campaigned, too, making clear their agreement with the amendment’s definition of marriage.

Alamance County resident Loch McKinnon referenced his religious beliefs when explaining why he chose to vote for Amendment One.

“There’s a book called the Bible,” he said. “You either believe or you don’t, and I choose to believe it.”

Loch summarized passages from the Old and New Testaments that influenced his definition of marriage as a union between one man and one woman, and county resident Betty Holyfield echoed his beliefs.

“The (Christian) values of a marriage being between one man and one woman…need to be upheld and respected,” she said.

But for county resident Lindsay Marshall, the issue was not that simple. She chose to vote against the amendment

“I had mixed feelings about it because of the way I was raised,” she said. “But I didn’t think (the amendment) was necessary.”

Although she recognized the right of the church to prohibit a religious union of any two people, a county resident who wished to speak anonymously said she voted against the amendment to preserve the separation of church and state.

“Nobody who is sworn into government puts their hand on the constitution and swears to uphold the bible,” she said. “They put their hand on the bible, or whatever scripture is holy to them, and swear to uphold the constitution. Big difference.”

Other county residents voted against the amendment to promote equality for all, regardless of martial status or sexual orientation.

“I have friends who are gay, and I would like them to have the same rights for their children as (my children) do,” said county resident Christina Flaherty. But she added her husband “thinks oppositely,” proving that opinions can differ even within families.

For county resident Donna Clark, the amendment bothered her “on a heart level,” which prompted her to vote against it.

“When I researched Amendment One, I found it was really disparaging against families of all kinds, and when I read deeper that it would cut health care benefits for people in same-sex relationships, that was my big deciding factor,” she said. “I don’t like to see anyone discriminated against based on their personal preferences.”

Additional reporting by Melissa Kansky, news editor.