As the election approaches, students have multiple options for early voting—including here on campus.
There will be one early voting site open on Duke’s campus, located at the Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center. The site will be open from Thursday, Oct. 15 to Saturday, Oct. 31.
In-person early voting in North Carolina is only available to those who reside in the county in which they are voting. This means that Duke students must register with their Durham County address in order to access early voting. Registered Durham voters may vote at any of the early voting sites in Durham County.
There will be a total of 14 early voting sites in Durham County, including one at N.C. Central University and another at Durham Technical Community College. A full list of early voting sites and times for the county can be found here.
The deadline to register to vote, except for same-day registration, is Oct. 9 for both early and regular voting.
North Carolina also offers same-day registration at all early voting sites. To register at early voting sites, voters must show proof of residence at their current address, which may be “a current college/university photo identification card paired with proof of campus habitation, a North Carolina driver’s license, other photo identification issued by a government agency, or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, [or] paycheck,” according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
If voters have registered prior to arrival at early voting sites, they do not need to present any form of photo identification in order to vote. Though a 2018 amendment to the North Carolina Constitution requiring photo ID to vote was approved by voters in the state, U.S. District Judge Loretta Biggs issued an injunction barring the law from being implemented in this year’s election.
Voters can call the Durham County Board of Elections at 919-560-0700 if they encounter issues at polling locations.
Curbside voting is also available at all early voting sites, although modifications have been made this season to minimize the spread of COVID-19. According to the Board of Elections, if a voter cannot enter a polling place due to age or physical or mental disability, has a medical condition that places them at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, cannot wear a mask for medical reasons or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, they are eligible for curbside voting.
Voters eligible for curbside voting can cast a ballot from inside their vehicle at their polling location. All curbside voters must sign an affidavit affirming that they cannot enter the polling place for one or more of the aforementioned reasons.
North Carolina State University also has an early voting site on campus, located at the Talley Student Union. There are twenty total early voting sites in Wake County.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill does not have an early voting location on campus. The nearest polling location to UNC’s campus is at the Chapel of the Cross, and there are a total of six early voting sites in Orange County.
For more election coverage from across North Carolina, visit One Vote N.C., a collaborative between The Chronicle and six other student newspapers that aims to help college students across the state navigate the November election.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Anisha Reddy is a Trinity junior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.