There was a lot at stake on this year’s midterm election ballot. The overturning of Roe v. Wade put many of the rights Americans have fought decades for at risk of being lost. From women’s health care rights to LGBTQ rights, casting your ballot during this election was more important than it’s ever been.
As college students, it can be incredibly difficult to find a convenient time to vote. Election Day cuts close to midterm exams. For most students, finding two to three hours to wait in line to vote isn’t convenient. Talley Student Union was an early voting site for students from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5. However, it wasn’t a voting location for students on Election Day.
Convenience is critical when it comes to mobilizing the youth vote. Young voters saved the 2020 election, with nearly 10 million youth ballots cast early, playing a pivotal part in Biden’s victory. Ensuring the vote of these young voters is essential to key election outcomes. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 22% of younger voters cite logistical concerns as a reason for not voting during elections. Creating conveniently located voting locations is critical to tackling some of these logistical challenges that keep young people away from the polls.
While it’s incredibly convenient for Talley to be an early voting location, many students are ill-informed about early voting opportunities and choose to vote on Election Day. Election Day voting sites for students vary based on their registration. Those registered in Raleigh vote on Centennial Campus at Centennial Campus Middle School. This adds another level of logistical challenges for students who live on or near North campus. Taking the bus to Centennial just to wait in line at their voting location isn’t a practical choice for many students.
A common concern among students and staff is the traffic and congestion that comes with having Talley as a registered Election Day voting site. Talley was a successful early voting location for 15 days of early voting with minor interruptions on campus.
Reynolds Coliseum had specific parking for voters, and most voters entered Talley through the back stairwell or the outdoor elevator. This minimized any contact that voters would have with high-traffic spots within Talley. If we were able to host hundreds of early voters for the two weeks leading up to Election Day, there’s no reason why we wouldn’t be able to accommodate them on actual Election Day.
Talley Student Union provided an added level of convenience for many students. While encouraging early voting within the student body would be ideal, many people will continue to put off voting till the last minute. I believe this should be taken into consideration when choosing voting locations on and around campus. If establishing Talley as an Election Day site isn’t feasible for the University, at the very least, specific Wolfline buses should be reserved solely for the purpose of transporting students to the polls.
Our University should invest in expanding the resources it provides to students around election season. Voting is the cornerstone of our American democracy, and it’s important that we make voting as convenient as we can for our students. It’s difficult enough for us to have to attend a full day of classes on Election Day, the least that NC State and North Carolina could do is provide conveniently located voting locations for all students.
