Denied a campus early voting site, NC A&T students again march to the polls

It was the second Greensboro student voter march this month, following an event last week that drew national attention.

Earlier this year, state and local elections officials denied students’ petitions for an early voting site on campus for this year’s primary and general elections. Students decided to show the power of their numbers with a march to cast their ballots.

Zayveon Davis, a leader of voter engagement at A&T, was one of the students who traveled to Raleigh last January to demonstrate for an early voting site for the primary.

“It’s wonderful that we are able to activate in this way,” he said before the march. “We are the leaders of tomorrow.”

It’s also too bad that they had to do it because elections officials would not agree to locate an early voting site on campus, said Davis, a senior majoring in business management.

The campus had an early voting site for the presidential election in 2024. But the campus didn’t have one in the last midterm election in 2022, so elections officials declined to open one for the 2026 midterm.

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The massive demonstration of student interest on Thursday should debunk arguments about low student turnout as a reason to deny the campus an early voting location, said senior Shia Rozier.

“I think you can look around and see that we’re more activated than the everyday person is,” she said.

Rozier also traveled to Raleigh earlier this year to support an early voting site on campus.

“Everytime they told us ‘No’ just showed us more and more how, if our votes didn’t matter, they wouldn’t be working this hard and saying “No” so often,” Rozier said.

Thursday was not just about casting ballots for students. It was an event with music, celebrities to cheer them on, and opportunities for photos. When We All Vote sponsored a Party at the Polls on campus.

Students had their pictures taken at a Faces of Change booth. They were able to check their voter registration at another table.

A&T Chancellor James R. Martin II praised the students. It’s an important time for people who have a sense of responsibility, engagement, and a desire to make a difference in their community, he said.

“I congratulate you for all of what you do to have your voices heard,” the chancellor said. “Today is a showcase for our community and for our nation.”

Marsai Martin, who starred on the TV show Black-ish, is a When We All Vote co-chair. She praised students for their persistence.

“When the path to the ballot box got harder, you guys all found a way forward,” she said. “I know our journey is our resistance. And I know that when this community comes together, it’s how we beat intimidation and fear. And when we show up and vote together, we make it fun and we make our communities impossible to ignore.”

After she voted, Trinity Dobson, a junior, said it wasn’t fair that A&T was denied an early voting site.

The march showed that students won’t be deterred, she said.

“You can’t silence us,” she said. “We’re not just these young, naive kids that don’t have voices or opinions. We’re never going to stop fighting for what we want, because this is our future.”

Early voting continues through Oct. 31.