As midterm elections have come to a close, the Pack the Polls coalition and student body reflected on the use of Talley Student Union as a one-stop voting site.
In August, when the State Board met to deliberate on early voting sites, according to a previous article from Technician, “board members’ main point of contention for the Talley site was the access the public would have to the site with its gates on Dan Allen Drive and other spots throughout campus.” The site was approved in a 5-4 decision.
“A lot of it had to do with the Board of Elections and their preferences,” said Andrew McDonald, a senior studying aerospace engineering and co-chair for the Pack the Polls coalition. “It’s a convenient location for our student body. It works out really well that that building is used so widely.”
While campus partners advocated for the site, the decision was ultimately up to the State Board of Elections after the Wake County Board of Elections failed to decide on the one-stop voting site in July. The Board collected measurements and data, and ensured the building is accessible and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant.
Brian Mathis, the associate director of Leadership and Civic Engagement, and other co-chair of Pack the Polls, talked about his role in getting Talley as an early voting site.
“The appointed political board members decide which site will be the voting site,” Mathis said. “Part of my role was to go to the board of elections meeting with Jess Errico, the student body president, and we spoke on behalf of supporting a site at Talley Student Union.”
According to Wake County Board of Elections, in total 14,491 ballots were cast in Talley. However, Mathis said that they will be using Clear House Data, a nonprofit that tracks student data by providing them with a report with the tallied votes and demographics, though that is yet to be completed. McDonald said that while many came out to vote, they were hoping for an even higher turnout.
“We saw a lot of alumni come out,” McDonald said. “As co-chair of Pack the Polls, we were and will be committed to engaging the student body to be involved in the democratic process. It’s part of the education that we want NC State students to get.”
Throughout the election season, Pack the Polls worked to increase voter education and participation among the student body.
“We do that through consolidating information on the Pack the Polls website, going to RA programming, speaking at other events on campus,” Mathis said. “Advocating for an early voting site was also part of that strategy to include and enthuse the student body by having a voting location right here, in the heart of campus.”
Mathis said that that centrally located spaces on campus would be ideal for upcoming elections as voting sites.
“I think we have proven this year that, logistics-wise, we’ve been able to come together to provide a great voting experience to voters both affiliated and not affiliated with the institution.” Mathis said.
McDonald said that the goal for the next election is that Talley will be a one-stop voting site.
“That is why we pushed students so hard to the polls,” McDonald. “The great benefit is that 30,000 plus students going through it every day. It was our goal to solidify our case in the future. We’ve already had some debriefing meetings to help with the process next time around.”
