Students advocate voting in North Carolina on Voter Registration Day

In recent weeks, teams of students have scoured Duke’s campus, helping people register to vote or change their registration to North Carolina.

Volunteer efforts and student-run political organizations, including Duke Democrats, and have set up tabling sessions in bustling locations, such as in front of Marketplace and inside West Union, to help students register to vote. These efforts were especially visible Tuesday in honor of National Voter Registration Day. By mid-afternoon Tuesday, senior Kendra Schultz, a volunteer for the Democratic campaign in North Carolina, said she had already registered 60 people to vote—the original goal—and hoped to register 50 more by the day’s end.

“This is the most fundamental way to express your view. It’s one of your basic rights as an American citizen, so I definitely encourage people to register to vote,” said sophomore Dina Xie, also a volunteer for the Democratic campaign in North Carolina.

Many organizations are encouraging students to change their voter registration to North Carolina due to close presidential polls and North Carolina’s status as a swing state.

Xie said that she believes that most students will have more of an impact by changing their registration.

“You should switch, especially if you live in a state that’s decidedly red or blue,” she explained. “North Carolina is up for grabs. If you can have more of a say in this election, you should want to do that.”

Some students, however, are also from key battleground states and face a situation of choosing between voting in North Carolina or in their home state.

“It was a pretty tough decision just because both [Florida and North Carolina] are very valuable in the presidential race, because they’re both swing states. I mean it was so close in 2000, like a little over 500 votes difference in Florida,” Zhou explained. “But the thing is, I wanted to actually be able to go to the polls and put my ballot in to vote... and also North Carolina is extremely important.”

Schultz noted that some students are hesitant to change their registration because they are invested in local elections back in their home state.

“Otherwise I think people are misinformed about how easy it is to switch [their registration],” she said.

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website, college students may register and vote in the country where they attend college. The registration process can be completed with a form that asks for name, birth date, residential address and mailing address, and those who wish to change their registration to North Carolina only need to provide the name and home address used in their previous registration. In North Carolina, the deadline to register to vote is Oct. 14.

“I think that not only is this the most impactful election for our country that I’ve ever witnessed, but it also symbolizes a turning point in North Carolina’s history,” said freshman Leah Abrams, Duke Democrats’ communications director. “Our state is very divided, and come November, we can decide whether to turn the tide and move forward, or continue on the path we’ve been on for the past six years.”

Recent efforts on campus to register more voters have stemmed partly from close presidential polls, but also from North Carolina’s state laws, such as House Bill 2, which have generated controversy in recent months.

“Especially with HB2, there’s a lot of outrage on campus, and this is an example of something that you can really do about it,” Schultz said. “This is a tangible action that you can take if you disagree with the policy.”

Xie noted that she thinks students on campus are engaged with this presidential election, which goes against the stereotype of college students being apathetic in political issues.

“It’s just a matter of turning conversation about what’s happening into actual action,” she said.

Addressing those who say that they dislike both Trump and Clinton and will not vote, Schultz and Xie emphasized that voting is a citizen’s civic duty. Schultz noted that if neither of the two candidates are appealing, voters should turn to independent candidates.

“It’s your responsibility to at least voice your opinion and participate in the democracy,” she said.

Claire Ballentine contributed reporting.