Article: Bias Detected in North Carolina’s Early Voting Sites

A report from a nonpartisan election integrity group said North Carolina is violating state law in the way early voting sites have been selected.

According to Verity Vote, at least 16 locations in 12 counties picked as spots for early in-person voting are on college campuses where Democrats enjoy a majority over Republicans.

The group noted in its April 22 report that state law provides for “One-Stop Voting” — early voting at a polling site — in addition to in-person Election Day voting and absentee voting.

“Analysis of North Carolina’s OSV locations, campus voter registration and OSV ballots cast reveals noncompliance with the statutory requirement for neutrality in early voting venues,” Verity Vote said in the report.

“When OSV sites are operated on a college campus, it disproportionately favors Democrats,” it said.

This violates the state’s law that sites must neither favor nor disfavor “any party, racial or ethnic group, or candidate,” the group said.

“Steps must be taken by North Carolina election officials, particularly the North Carolina State Board of Elections, to ensure compliance with state law by relocating campus One-Stop Voting locations to more neutral sites that do not significantly favor either political party, as required by North Carolina law,” it said.

Alleging campuses are Democratic bastions is not an idle claim.

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement reported that in 2022, the youth vote (ages 18-29) was 63 percent for Democrats and 35 percent for Republicans, which was in line with figures from 2020 and 2018.

The same is true in North Carolina.

Verity Vote’s report noted that in the voting precinct that surrounds the polling site at Winston-Salem State University, 96.5 percent of those enrolled in a major party are Democrats, 38.7 percent more than the county at large. Other college polling locations had similar figures.

The group said the difference was stark in the 2020 election.

Using the North Carolina State campus in Raleigh as an example, Verity Vote reported that the campus polling place showed President Joe Biden getting 88 percent of the vote against 10 percent for former President Donald Trump.

However, in Wake County as a whole, Biden was at just 62.5 percent of the vote while Trump was at 35.8 percent.

Using a college campus as a voting site had other negative factors, the group said.

“When One-Stop Voting is located on college campuses, it can present a barrier for voting by the non-campus population due to restricted campus parking and access,” Verity Vote reported.

“Signage requiring permits in certain lots and complex campus navigation can make access to the polling location a challenge for individuals who are not familiar with or do not regularly access the campus as a student, employee, or faculty member,” it reported.

“One-Stop voting locations in precincts that disproportionately favor either party create an unfair advantage,” the group concluded, calling for officials to “eliminate any site that confers an advantage to one political party and its candidates. “

“The election administrators across the state of North Carolina are falling short of their statutory duty to ensure neutrality and the NCSBE has an obligation to immediately take steps to reverse the current situation and ensure compliance with the law,” it said, referring to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.