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Duke Campus to Host Early Voting Site for Primary Election

early voting 2012

Voters collect their ballots at the early voting polling site at Duke in 2012. 

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Early voting is returning to Duke’s campus for the upcoming primary election in North Carolina. 

With the continuing renovation of the West Union Building, which had served as the early voting site in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Duke and the state Board of Elections have moved the polling site for the primary to the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, 1415 Faber St.  

More than 9,000 people voted in both the 2008 and 2012 general elections at Duke.

“Voting is the foundation of civil society,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations.  “We have worked closely with students, faculty and the Board of Elections over the years to make the process as seamless as possible and hope that all members of the Duke community exercise this important obligation.”

Schoenfeld added, “We are grateful to the staff and students at the Freeman Center, who have helped make this possible, and look forward to returning the voting site to the center of campus once the renovations are completed this fall.”

The Duke early voting site is one of 11 in Durham County. The primary is scheduled for March 15. Early voting will run daily from Thursday, March 3, to Saturday, March 12. Hours will vary throughout the week and can be found on the elections board’s website. 

The site will be open to Durham County registered voters only. Durham County residents and Duke students are eligible to vote at the site if they are a U.S. citizen and a legal resident of Durham County for 30 days by the date of the election. Voters must be at least 18 years old, although individuals who are 17 can register and vote if they will be 18 by the November general election.

In addition to increasing convenience of voting, the on-campus early voting site spurred political activity among students in both 2008 and 2012. In the last presidential election, both Duke Democrats and Republicans supported the early voting site on campus and organized activities around it.