North Carolina Students March Against Campus Polling Site Closures
Students from several North Carolina universities marched to polling sites after the state board of elections removed early voting locations from their campuses.
Students from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Bennett College, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro organized marches to polling sites on October 15 and 22, 2026. The demonstrations followed decisions by the North Carolina State Board of Elections in January and August to eliminate early voting sites at several institutions, including NC A&T, UNCG, Western Carolina University, and Elon University.
Student organizers, the coalition Protect Ours NC, and the non-partisan organization When We All Vote coordinated the marches and shuttle services to assist students who lack transportation to off-campus sites. The mobilization included a Votecoming: Party at the Polls event during NC A&T's homecoming to increase turnout. Marsai Martin, co-chair of When We All Vote, joined students during the October 22 march.
The College Democrats of North Carolina filed a lawsuit in January alleging that the closures violate the 1st, 14th, and 26th Amendments and disproportionately burden young and Black voters. However, Federal Judge William Osteen declined to order the sites reopened. Similar voting rights protests occurred in Houston, Texas, where Texas Southern University students marched against the redistricting of the 18th Congressional District.
