Early voting in the UC Muiltipurpose room, Feb. 26, 2020 during the primary elections. Photo by: Chandler Keller.
It’s voting time again! From Oct. 15 to 31 you can vote early in North Carolina. Jackson County registered voters can choose from one of five early voting sites in the county, including the WCU University Center.
Having on-campus voting as an option is a great way to encourage students to vote, said Lane Perry, executive director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, in an email.
“We have seen real impacts with the on-campus polling place directly related to increases in student voting. In the 2014 mid-terms, roughly 500 students voted during early voting. It should be noted at that time we did not have an on-campus polling place. In 2018, when we did have an on-campus polling site, over 1,500 students voted during that time,” said Perry.
In regard to the impact of COVID-19 on early voting, the amount of mail-in and absentee ballot requests are going to increase according to Perry. In his opinion, there is going to be a significant number of students who will follow the national trend and use the mail-in voting option.
Students will also have the option of same day voting registration. However, on Nov. 3, Election Day, no same day registration changes will be accepted. To register, students can go to the Belk 273 offices, the registration drives held on campus, online or to the DMV. Both CatCards and driver’s licenses are valid forms of ID.
See other WCJ coverage of Elections 2020 and candidates profiles here.
See the video from the Student Democracy Coalition for additional explanations on how to register,how to vote and what is on the ballot where you are voting.
