On-campus precinct plan approved

After three administrations and countless trips to Raleigh, student government’s vision of a large on-campus voting precinct is coming, though not in time for this fall’s elections.

Earlier this month, the N.C. General Assembly ratified Senate Bill 98, which will allow the Chapel Hill township to revise its current voting precinct system to create superprecincts.

Under the bill’s provisions, the precincts used in early voting — Morehead Planetarium, Carrboro Town Hall and the Board of Elections office in Hillsborough — also would be used on Election Day.

“It’s very fulfilling to know that this is going to become a reality,” said former Student Body President Matt Calabria.

“People have worked very hard on this,” said Calabria, who credited the groundwork laid by the 2002-03 administration led by then-Student Body President Matt Tepper.

But the victory did not come without hurdles.

The bill was postponed multiple times throughout the summer’s extended session because not all the legislators necessary for a favorable vote were present.

Current Student Body Vice President Adrian Johnston underscored the important role that legislators played in navigating party politics and passing the bill, mentioning House Majority Leader Joe Hackney and Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, both Orange County Democrats.

But, to the disappointment of Student Body President Seth Dearmin and his administration, the precinct will not be ready for implementation until next spring.

“We will not be using it in the November election because of the time constraint,” said Carolyn Thomas, director of the Orange County Board of Elections.

The system will require multiple computers and workers per location, Thomas said. The number of locations has yet to be set.

But once the computer systems are linked and the test runs completed, Dearmin said the ramifications will be positive.

“We really hope the repercussions of this will be that students will vote,” he said Friday. “Especially in municipal elections.”

Additionally, VoteCarolina Chairman Jeremy Spivey said he hopes that the changes will decrease the costs — in both time and money — incurred by student groups during election season.

“It’s going to eliminate all the work that student groups had to do,” Spivey said, noting that more than $1,000 was spent last November on transporting students to and from polling sites.

Calabria said the changes should spark action among students. “I think that the passage of this legislation should be a boon for students to get out the vote rather than allowing us to rest on our laurels."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.