On 15 October, students from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University, Bennett College, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro organized marches to distant polling sites for early voting. The North Carolina board of elections, led by Republicans, removed polling locations from four colleges late last year, eliminating a voting resource that had previously been available to students.
College Democrats sued the state board of elections in January over the removals, arguing the decision would disproportionately affect students without transportation and Black voters. The lawsuit noted that Western Carolina University students without cars would need to walk nearly two miles along a highway without sidewalks or guardrails to reach an alternate polling site. The suit also highlighted that NC A&T is the country’s largest historically Black university and that the removed polling place at WCU had served more Black voters than any other location in the county during the 2024 election.
The marches drew participation from student organizers and national voting rights groups including When We All Vote. During a second march on 22 October, actor Marsai Martin and Love Island USA winner Trinity Tatum, both affiliated with When We All Vote, addressed attendees. Student leaders credited the removal of on-campus sites with motivating increased participation rather than discouraging voting.
Student organizers launched additional voter mobilization efforts, including shuttle services to polling locations, voting-focused social events, and Votecoming: Party at the Polls during NC A&T’s homecoming. Research has associated similar voter mobilization events with increases in turnout of two to four percentage points. Student organizers framed their efforts as both a response to barriers and a broader cultural shift to make voting engagement a campus priority.
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