Students march to force hand on UNC Charlotte polling site
Organizers say 350 undergraduates voted at a nearby library after the university lacked an on-campus precinct for the midterms.
By Sarah Ross ·
Three hundred fifty students cast ballots at a public library on Thursday after organizers led a march from the UNC Charlotte campus to the nearest voting site. The group is now pushing for a permanent on-campus polling location for every election cycle.
The Cone Building on the university grounds has served as a voting precinct in previous cycles, including the 2024 presidential election. For this midterm election, the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections did not designate a spot on campus for students.
Sawyer Hook, a junior and founder of the non-profit The Greater Good, organized the march to demonstrate student turnout. He cited a lack of expected voter participation as the reason for the decision to omit a campus site.
“What I was told is that we don’t have a polling site for midterms because of the lack of turnout. So that kind of goes into why are we doing this in the first place for marches. If (people) don’t think we have enough turnout, now we’re going to show you some turnout,” Hook said.
The voting location used for the march was the Former University City Library. It sits a 33-minute walk and a five-minute drive from the Popp Martin Student Union, which is located in the center of campus.
Kristin Mavromatis, the Public Information Manager for the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections, stated the library is a long-standing voting site in the area. She explained the board selected the location because it is more accessible to all residents of Mecklenburg County.
Azillyah McDonald, a senior, supported the effort to secure dedicated on-campus space. She argued that a fixed location helps students understand the voting process and its impact on daily life.
“I believe that having a set space for us to not only go and vote but get information on voting is important because a lot of people like myself don’t vote because we aren’t aware of the things or the process that takes place in order for us to go and do that and how it actually affects our everyday lives,” McDonald said.
Source: WBTV
