NC A&T State University students march to the polls

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — As many students at North Carolina A&T State University get ready for homecoming weekend, some took time out of their day to vote early in this year’s election.

Marching across NC A&T’s campus on Thursday afternoon, dozens of student alumni made their way from the Williams Dining Hall to the Dudley Building to participate in early voting.

It was a march organized by political groups Advance North Carolina and America Votes.

“I’m excited about the first day of early voting here in North Carolina. North Carolina is absolutely the path to getting to 270 and moving forward in the right direction in this country,” America Votes Executive Director Daria Dawson said.

NC A&T student Mikayla Massey also joined the march.

“It’s really important to have convenient voting spot on campus for so many reasons. But for one, we have the largest HBCU in the entire nation. We have over 12,000 students who go here … Giving them the opportunity to have accessible voting booths is especially important,” Massey said.

According to High Point University Political Science Professor Brandon Lenoir, Black male voters will play a huge role in which way this election will go.

“The most recent polling numbers show Harris is sitting at about 70% of Black men voting for her … That’s down about 17 percent for Biden in 2020,” Lenoir said.

Lenoir says Trump has gone up in support amongst Black male voters since 2020 with about 20% of their support in 2024.

“Now that doesn’t sound like a huge number, but when you’re talking about an election, especially in a state that is separated by a percentage, that can make a difference in the outcome of the election,” Lenoir said

It’s an election some voters like Claudia Jordan, who was a former Celebrity Apprentice competitor, say has a lot at stake.

“In this election, I see a disconnect … We don’t really need a lot with such a close election,” Jordan said.

The early voting site at the Dudley Building is located right off of Yanceyville Street.

It’s open 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

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