Students Blocked From Early Voting at NC Campuses after a federal judge declined to override elections boards, a move students say creates unnecessary barriers just days before voting begins.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — In a move students are calling blatantly unfair, a federal judge refused to step in and protect on-campus early voting at three North Carolina universities — just days before early voting begins.
U.S. District Judge William Osteen denied emergency requests from student advocates who warned that removing campus polling sites would silence young voters, especially those without cars, money, or flexible schedules.
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab The lawsuit, filed by the College Democrats of North Carolina and student voters, argued the decision forces students to jump through unnecessary hoops to do the most basic civic duty: vote.
The judge wasn’t persuaded.
NC College Students File Federal Lawsuit Over Removal of Campus Early Voting Sites
With early voting set to start Thursday for the March 3 primary, students say the timing couldn’t be worse. Judge Osteen claimed ordering new voting sites so close to the election could cause “confusion.”
Students say the real confusion is why their campuses were singled out in the first place. The ruling keeps early voting sites off the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, North Carolina A&T State University, and Western Carolina University.
North Carolina A&T is the largest HBCU in the country, making its exclusion especially alarming to students and civil rights advocates who say the decision disproportionately impacts Black voters.
The lawsuit spells it out plainly that without on-campus voting, students are forced to travel off campus — costing time, money, and access. That’s a serious burden for students juggling classes, jobs, and limited transportation.
Same-day registration exists during early voting, but only if you can get to a site. For many students, that’s not guaranteed. Meanwhile, election officials argued they weren’t required to keep voting locations used in past elections, blaming logistics like parking and turnout.
Students aren’t buying it.
This ruling lands amid a major power shift in North Carolina. A new state law recently flipped control of the State Board of Elections — and all 100 county boards — from Democratic to Republican majorities.
For students, the message feels loud and clear: figure it out yourself.
