NC State voting site move sees turnout jump

Unofficial early voting numbers from Wake County indicate that 14,502 voters cast ballots at the NC State University business service center. This figure represents a roughly 40% increase over the number of votes cast at Talley Student Union during the 2022 midterm election.

The site change became necessary after the Wake County Board of Elections voted in the summer to relocate the polling place from Talley Student Union to the business service center. The new location is more than a mile away and requires crossing Western Boulevard. The board’s Republican majority cited better parking and access as reasons for the move. Critics argued the change would hinder students who lack cars or are unfamiliar with the new address.

Alexa Hill, a student leader for the nonpartisan group Pack the Polls, said many students were confused by the location shift. “Students definitely came up to me confused. It isn’t a site that we normally use,” Hill said. Her team adjusted its strategy by running a free shuttle from Talley and Centennial Campus to the business center every hour during most of the early voting period.

The group also promoted the specific address, 1220 Varsity Drive, because it is easier to locate via GPS than the building name. For students using public transit, the team shared information on available bus routes. Those who preferred to drive or walk had a roughly 20-minute journey to the new site.

The increased participation aligns with a statewide trend. North Carolina recorded a new state record for a midterm, with more than 2.8 million people voting before Election Day. This marks a 31% increase from 2022. Early voting turnout in Wake County specifically was up 52% compared to the previous midterm cycle.

Gerry Cohen, a Democratic member of the Wake County Board of Elections who opposed the move, suggested the controversy itself may have driven higher turnout. “I think that really set off a firestorm, especially in the Black community across the state,” Cohen said. “I think it was a complete backfire.”

Cohen stated that for the 2028 presidential election, he would prefer the site return to Talley or move to the McKimmon Conference Center. The latter shares a parking lot with the current site but allows for higher capacity. The elections board plans to begin discussions on 2028 locations in January.

Hill noted that the logistical hurdles required students to be more intentional in their planning. “But for the rest of our lives, we’ll always have to be intentional about making a plan to vote,” Hill said. The unofficial county data stands at 334,127 total voters as of the most recent count.