Orange County Board of Elections Talks Early Voting on Campus

From the dorms on Country Club Rd to the Smith Center, students and a lot of them, have found a way to get to the game.  If students can figure out how to go almost 1 1/2 miles (Country Club Rd to Smith Center), they should be able to figure out how to get to the early voting site regardless of where it is.

The difference I'm seeing is, there is no lottery with voting:  if you are "in line at closing time" you are allowed to vote.  Nobody can buy an advantage. The game happened in 1 night while in order to vote, students have several days to work that into their schedule.  Now, AFTER the game last night, how many STUDENTS found their way 1 1/2 miles from the SMITH CENTER?  Granted, not all these students were inside the center; however, these THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS ON FRANKLIN STREET PROVES MY POINT:  IF SOMETHING IS IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO THEM, THEY WILL MAKE THE EFFORT AND FIGURE IT OUT.  

Carrboro alderwoman Jacquie Gist introduced, and the board unanimously adopted, the resolution below on February 18. Note the point it makes about an early voting site on campus being important for employees also. This isn't just about students.

A Resolution Supporting an Early Voting Site on the Campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel HillWHEREAS, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) has a student population of 29,000 and a faculty/staff population of 11,900, many of whom are residents of Orange County; and WHEREAS, transportation and parking policies adopted by UNC-CH were done so with the intention of reducing traffic on campus, and to urge the use of alternative means of transportation such as riding the bus, walking or biking by students, faculty and staff; andWHEREAS, these policies were adopted with the support of the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill for many laudable reasons, including the reduction of greenhouse gases and less impervious surface for parking, as well as increased health benefits; and WHEREAS, these policies have the effect of less off-campus mobility throughout the workday for students, faculty and staff; and WHEREAS, students, faculty and staff at UNC-CH have the fundamental right to participate in their government through the voting process; andWHEREAS, since the implementation of early voting in North Carolina, there has often been an early voting site on the campus of UNC-CH, as there has been at most universities in North Carolina; and WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of Elections (BOE) is currently considering where to hold early voting during the spring 2014 voting cycle, and is still trying to decide on a location for a site at UNC; andWHEREAS, the Orange County BOE has already confirmed three other locations for early voting in Orange County; these include the BOE office in Hillsborough, Town Hall in Carrboro, and the Seymour Senior Center in Chapel Hill; and WHEREAS, the major concern for the BOE as to a location on the UNC-CH campus is thought to be the lack of parking for persons who desire to park and vote at this site; and WHEREAS, even if parking is somewhat limited on campus, the accessibility of so many students, faculty and staff to this voting site outweighs the parking consideration, especially as there are two nearby locations with ample parking for early voting; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Carrboro Board of Aldermen urges the Orange County Board of Elections to include an early voting site on the campus of UNC-CH.