Unlike the previous two election cycles, Wake Forest will have no on-campus early voting site this year. The closest early voting site for Wake Forest students will be Polo Park Community Center, located at 1850 Polo Road, about a mile and a half from Reynolda Campus.
In 2020 and 2022, students could cast a ballot at the former location of Winston-Salem First Assembly of God, situated across from Deacon Place in the Z5 parking lot. Wake Forest University has owned the property since 2019 when it was purchased under the agreement that the Winston-Salem First congregation could continue gathering at the church for at least three years. The congregation moved location this year.
Plans to use the site as a polling place fell through after Wake Forest University told the Forsyth County Board of Elections that the space would be unavailable, according to a county election official.
“Our board, both Democrats and Republicans, voted to have a voting location for early voting on two campuses: one at Wake Forest and one at Winston-Salem State,” said Forsyth County Board of Elections Vice Chairperson Catherine Jourdan. “[Wake Forest officials] said we could not use [the site at Winston-Salem First] because they were doing renovations.”
“Unfortunately, the previous on-campus property is not a viable option this election cycle…” Vice President for Campus Life Shea Kidd Brown confirmed.
It’s not immediately clear what “not viable” means, especially as a little over a month out from early voting, no active construction or demolition is happening in the Z5 lot.
Possible barriers ahead of November
The absence of an on-campus early voting site creates an obstacle for students trying to access polls, raising questions about how the change could deflate turnout.
“Political scientists have found that individuals’ decisions about whether to vote are affected by many factors, including the ease of casting a ballot, and proximity to a voting site can make it easier to cast a ballot,” politics and international affairs department chair John Dinan said.
Sophomore Bella Coughlin echoed this sentiment, saying, “It is one more thing to do in a busy academic schedule, and many students might forget or not prioritize voting if it is not quick and easy to find on campus.”
To increase accessibility to early voting for students, the Office of Civic and Community Engagement (OCCE) will work with campus organizations and partners to shuttle students to the Polo Park Community Center during the early voting period, which begins Oct. 17. Students who choose this option will have access to same-day voter registration until 3 p.m. on Nov. 2. Same-day voter registration is available at all Forsyth County early voting sites.
Jourdan encouraged students who may have difficulties reaching Polo Park Community Center for early voting to look into voting on Election Day on Nov. 5 or requesting a mail-in absentee ballot before 5 p.m. Oct. 29, which can be sent to P.O. mailing boxes on campus.
Deacs Decide, a student-led nonpartisan election engagement project supported by the OCCE, will hold pop-up events and table outside the Pit from 12-2 p.m. every weekday through Election Day on Nov. 5 to help students engage with the democratic process. Representatives with the group have been trained to help students register and share information on where and how to vote.
Students can also register and find voting resources in the OCCE’s office in Benson 503 or through their Voting in the 2024 Election webpage.
“[Facilitating civic engagement among students] is important,” Kidd Brown said. “The college experience provides a unique backdrop to engage students in the democratic process. We want to create experiences for students to ask questions and engage in dialogue.”
