North Carolina A&T, UNCG, and Bennett College students marched nearly an hour each way to cast their ballots after officials denied on-campus polling locations. This decision forced hundreds of students to endure a lengthy walk, with some waiting up to three hours to vote, while others had to leave early to attend classes or work.

The denial of on-campus polling sites for the 2026 election marks a stark contrast to the previous year when these universities hosted early voting locations. The Guilford County Board of Elections declined requests from students and local activists to keep the sites, opting instead for Union Square Campus as a compromise location. Despite the inconvenience, students marched to make their voices heard, carrying signs that read “It’s About Us” and “They close polling sites, we keep showing up anyway.”

Greensboro.com reported that some students faced challenges like gaps in the sidewalk and poison ivy along the route. Local Democratic organizer Kema Leonard highlighted these issues, noting that voting should not be this difficult. “At one point, the staffers said they had run out of registration forms,” Leonard said. “It almost proved our point that we need our own sites.”

The North Carolina State Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines in January to deny N.C. A&T a polling site, with the Republican-led board again denying the university a location in August. N.C. A&T is the largest four-year historically Black college in the country, emphasizing the significance of accessible voting for Black students. “Can we identify a single voter who is better served by having fewer opportunities to cast a ballot?” asked Jeff Carmon, one of the two Democrats on the state elections board, during the latest hearing.

Student leaders and political figures alike encouraged students to persist in their efforts to vote. “We are here to make our voices heard,” Jade Dwyer, vice president of the UNC Greensboro College Democrats, told students before the march. The resilience of these students underscores a broader struggle for voting rights in Black communities, where systemic barriers often make exercising the right to vote a challenging and sometimes impossible task.

Early voting in North Carolina continues through October 31, and students are being urged to bring a friend and ensure their peers also get to the polls. This year's march reflects a deeper pattern of disenfranchisement and the ongoing fight for equitable access to the ballot box.

Originally reported by Bossip