Twelve states cast votes for presidential nominees on March 1, also known asSuper Tuesday, the biggest single-day delegate haul of the nomination contests. Republicans are voting in 11 states, with 595 delegates at stake. Democrats are casting ballots in 11 states, too, plus American Samoa, with 865 delegates up for grabs.
Here's a look at what some voters had to say as they went to the polls:
Donald Trump:
Tyler Murphy, a 26-year-old Boston resident who works as a project manager for a construction company, voted for Donald Trump on Tuesday even though he thinks the billionaire businessman is "undeniably wrong on a lot of things." For better or worse, he said, the controversial candidate is the "wake-up call" the country needs. "Ultimately, if we have to elect someone who is borderline crazy to get people to understand what's going on, then that's what we have to do," Murphy said.
"I like Trump and we need some change," said Trump merchandise seller Tim Engelskirchen, according to an NBC News video on voting in Southern states.
“My feeling is, we need someone who can make definitive decisions and has no ties to the infrastructure in Washington,” Ben Alred, a 52-year-old middle school history teacher in Virginia said. “He’s definitely someone who’s not aligned with any party too deeply.”
"He's got a different way of looking at things, and he's an independent thinking guy," Troy Wakller of Virginia said. "He's not going to be influenced by anyone else."
Ted Cruz:
"These were the more hot-button issues with me. He's been pretty consistent with what he was elected here in the state to do," said Owen Worley, a 26-year-old Houston resident who likes that Cruz is focusing on economic issues, like reducing the size of government and controlling the national debt.
Bill Weise, an 86-year-old retired Marine Corps general, voted for Cruz, with seven months of deliberating coming down to the final 10 seconds before he filled in the bubble next to Cruz's name at at a Fairfax County, Virginia, precinct He picked Cruz over Trump, even though Ben Carson was actually his favorite candidate. But he concluded Carson wasn't viable, and picked Cruz because he ultimately decided he "would make better decisions as chief executive than Trump."
John Kasich:
"I wanted to vote for somebody who wasn't Donald Trump so that maybe he wouldn't win Tennessee," said Julia Price, an attorney in Knoxville, who cast her vote for the Ohio governor. "Normally, I'm a Democrat."
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Bill Snipes of Oklahoma said he voted for Kasich. Snipes, who is employed in the insurance business, said that of all the GOP hopefuls he felt Kasich was most in line with his political views.
Michael Kernyat of Chesterfield County, Virginia, said he voted for Kasich "even though I think I threw my vote away." The 60-year-old retired computer consultant said Kasich is "the most reasonable person running," but probably has no chance of beating Donald Trump. Kernyat says "nobody is going to stop that freight train."
Twin sisters Vivien and Gillian Gattie, both retired, 72 years old and originally from England, were less than thrilled at their options as they showed up to cast ballots at Boston City Hall. "I'm so appalled at the choices," said Gillian, an independent who voted for President Barack Obama twice, but chose Kasich, as a "protest vote" because she didn't care for any Republican or Democrat this time around. She said she would only vote for Hillary Clinton in November if it came down to a contest between her and Donald Trump.
Vivien, a registered Democrat who also voted for Obama in the last two presidential elections, cast her ballot for Clinton, though reluctantly. "I voted for her because I think she can win," she said. "I can't get excited for Bernie Sanders." Like her sister, Vivien said she has concerns about Clinton. "I really don't care for her much. I don't trust her," Vivien said. "But I think she's qualified — the most qualified of the candidates."
Marco Rubio:
“Out of the options, he’s the better one, but I wish he had more experience,” 54-year-old Nick Bryant of Arlington, Virginia, told the Washington Post. “If both parties dig in their heels and stick to their guns, how do we govern? I really like Kasich, I like his calm and even tone, his demeanor. But you have to get ratings now, and he hasn’t.”
“After the first couple of debates I was impressed by Kasich’s experience and Trump on the issues,” 19-year-old Massachusetts voter Michael Reed told the Washington Post. “I know the media hates Trump, and the media likes Rubio. But Rubio doesn’t have a track record on anything he’s talking about."
John Cook, a retired investment adviser in Houston, said he chose Rubio because Jeb Bush has dropped out of the race. Cook said it's likely too late to stop Trump because he has too much momentum. He said Trump is "narcissistic" but that if he wins the nomination then Cook would likely support him, "but it would be like buying a ticket on the Titanic."
Sandi Garrett, who voted in Dallas, says she wanted to support Ohio Gov. John Kasich but his low poll numbers prompted her to vote for Rubio instead. She backed Rubio because she vehemently opposes Trump.
Nicole Freed of Virginia, crossed over and voted for Rubio. The moderate Democrat said her vote was intended to knock Trump off the ballot in November's general election. Freed is a disabled 32-year-old Army veteran who served in Iraq. She said she doesn't like what she called Trump's broad generalizations about Muslim Americans. She added, "I don't think we can fight the entire Muslim world." In November, she said she'll probably vote for Clinton.
Hillary Clinton:
“It’s tragic. I would love to see a woman president, but I just don’t trust her,” Claudia Mackintosh, a 61-year-old real estate agent voting in Norfolk, Virginia, told the Washington Post. “My perception is that she’s controlled by the corporate donors."
David Taylor said he voted for Clinton because of her background in international matters. Taylor, an attorney, said he believes Clinton has the right kind of experience in international politics that the nation needs.
"I love Bernie, but I'm too old to vote for Bernie," said Ellyn Sonik, 66, who works as a courier for a medical lab and was interviewed outside a suburban Dallas, Texas, polling station. "I feel like he's on the right track, and it's never going to happen. He can't do what he says he's going to do." She said she voted for Hillary. "She thinks the way I do pretty much on social issues and business."
Sara Mosher, a doctoral student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said she voted for Clinton because the former secretary of state and U.S. senator has "the most knowledge of what it's like to be president." She said Sanders presidency would not be effective, but she wants the Vermont senator to remain in politics because he has an important message.
Karen Lahrman, a 57-year-old paralegal in Dallas, said she voted for Clinton and said it's time for a woman president. She said Clinton is the one with the most experience and "knows what she's doing."
Army veteran, 80-year-old Clarence Wall, was firm in his support of Clinton. He called her a fighter after voting in Virginia.
Karen Williams, a lifelong Democrat from Duluth, Georgia, said she voted for Hillary Clinton. But the 55-year-old voter mostly has her eyes on Donald Trump, whom she wants to stop from gaining the White House. "I can't see him talking to dignitaries from other countries, insulting people," she said. "A lot of countries don't take kindly to insults."
Bernie Sanders:
“I will tell you: After a lot of thought, I voted for me for president,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders.
"He's targeting the common people," Farrukh Jangda, a 21-year-old senior in computer science at the University of Texas at Dallas, said after voting for Sanders. Jangda said Clinton has been in politics so long that he thought she could be swayed by special interests, such as Wall Street, and he considers Sanders an outsider. Referring to Donald Trump, he said, "I just am afraid that if the people here — a lot of them — aren't taking him seriously how will other countries take our country seriously? That's what scares me." Jangda said he is a Muslim-American and has concerns with how Trump portrays Muslims. "He doesn't have the personality to be president."
Mary Rodriguez said she is a longtime fan of Clinton, but she voted for Sanders. After voting at a heavily Republican precinct in Chesterfield County, Virginia, the 38-year-old insurance agent said much of what Sanders talks about is what she believes in and "what I want for my children."
