Almost 10,000 exercise early voting option on UNC's campus

Even though Election Day is Tuesday, thousands of students have already cast their ballots on campus.

On Saturday, the final early voting day, 936 people voted at Rams Head Dining Hall.

In all, 9,448 votes were recorded at Rams Head during the early voting period from Oct. 18 to Saturday, excluding Oct. 27, the date of the N.C. State University football game.

“Having voting on campus — it’s lowering the cost of going to vote,” said senior Russell McIntyre, co-vice president of Young Democrats.

There were five early voting locations in Orange County, and Rams Head ranked fourth in popularity, said Tracy Reams, director of the Orange County Board of Elections.

This year’s turnout was about half the turnout of on-campus early voting in the 2008 presidential election, which took place at Morehead Planetarium and brought in about 18,000 voters.

When Morehead Planetarium closed for renovations in 2010, UNC’s early voting site moved to University Square, which, McIntyre said, was less popular.

“It was not as great to advertise and was way too far away,” he said.

Rams Head was approved as a voting location in time for the May primary election, which included the Amendment One referendum.

Daniel Cotton, a freshman volunteer with the Orange County Republican Party, said on-campus voting sites get students involved.

“Probably more students vote here,” he said. “There were probably transportation issues (with voting off campus).”

Sophomore Dale Koontz said she voted early to avoid lines on Election Day — and because the Rams Head location was convenient.

“It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing,” she said. “I was walking to Morrison, and people for the Obama campaign asked me if I had voted and said there was no line.”

Koontz said she would have voted even if there wasn’t an on-campus location. But many of her friends would have been deterred, she said.

Volunteers were joined by a special guest Saturday — actor Benjamin McKenzie, best known for The O.C.

“He was awesome. He shook all of our hands,” said Mariella Alvarado, a UNC senior and volunteer.

McKenzie, who graduated from the University of Virginia as a political science major, stressed the importance of early voting to the volunteers, Alvarado said, adding he inspired them to continue their work.

“We all got split up and just knocked on doors in (Hinton James residence hall),” she said.

Cotton said an early voting center on campus is positive for all parties.

“I think with the democratic process in America everyone should have the opportunity to vote,” he said.

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