NC ELECTIONS LIVE UPDATES: Scenes from Duke's campus, polling places in Durham

Election day is finally here. In a last-ditch effort to get Blue Devils to the polls, Duke student organizations are undertaking mobilization efforts across campus.

Read The Chronicle’s live coverage today with scenes around campus and several polling places in Durham as residents of the Tar Heel State await the final results of this historic election cycle.

BC Plaza, 3:30 p.m

05-11-24 4:16 PM

Duke Democrats sat in the square from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Representatives focused their efforts on getting out the vote, working with nonpartisan organizations such as Duke Votes and Young People’s Alliance.

Duke Votes has also been filing since 10 a.m. and plans to continue into the afternoon.

Duke Democrats President Annika Aristimuno, a junior, has been at BC Plaza since 10 a.m. and “asks every person walking by if they have voted yet.”

Aristimuno said Duke Democrats are working with Bull City Votes and Durham Drives to provide students with free rides to their polling places. Students living on West Campus or in Swift Apartments can vote at the WI Patterson Recreation Center, while those living on East Campus will be assigned to George Watts Elementary School.

Bull City Votes volunteers also hand out sample ballots and nonpartisan voting guides to passersby.

Aristimuno spoke about the efforts of the North Carolina Youth Voting Rights Team, which fights against the disenfranchisement of youth across the state.

“We have contacted all the people at (the) Karsh Alumni (and Visitors) Center who have cast a provisional ballot,” Aristimuno said. “… (We) are giving them the steps to heal them and offering rides to the county elections board and recovering their provisional ballot to ensure their votes count.”

A June report from Bass Connections found that 61.7% of provisional ballots cast by Duke students in the March primary were ultimately discarded, compared to 37% of provisional ballots in Durham County. Learn more about what provisional ballots are and how they can contribute to youth disenfranchisement here.

–Ava Littman

Patterson, 3 p.m

05-11-24 4:02 PM

Signs along the sidewalks to the WI Patterson Recreation Center direct voters to one of two polling places for Duke students. There are no lines visible and only about 10 to 20 voters could be seen in the center.

A few tables surround the polling place, one of which advertises “Duke Voting for Equality” and is staffed by representatives offering donuts and chips to voters going in and out of downtown. Other tables included North Carolina Asian American Together, which also handed out water and food and encouraged passersby to vote.

Annie, an engineering graduate student at Duke, shared her motivation for voting in North Carolina as a battleground state.

“I lived in Florida and felt like my vote didn’t really matter,” she said. “But here, in North Carolina, I feel like my voice matters.”

She highlighted the “absolutely terrible” housing market and economic concerns as the key issues driving her to the polls this year.

“It’s causing a lot of fear and anxiety in our generation,” she said. ‘… In the past you could buy a house and… pay for your children to study. Now you’d be lucky if you could afford a quarter of your house.”

20241105 Election Patterson 3:00 PM Morgan Chu 1 — Campaign signs on the side of the WI Patterson Recreation Center on Election Day.

-Chloe Joy Chang

BC Plaza, 11:30 am

05-11-24 3:48 PM

With less than 12 hours before the polls close in North Carolina, student organizations could see a variety of resources and information appearing at the Bryan Center Plaza on Election Day.

Duke Votes, a nonpartisan student civic engagement group, is holding its final day of session for the semester. They share information about available shuttles to polling places, as well as nonpartisan voter information.

20241105 Election Day Ethan Cho 10 — Duke Votes campaigns on Election Day at BC Plaza.

-Mekhi Patterson