UNC Asheville Offers Free Shuttles to Polls During March Primary

A shuttle operated by UNC Asheville is running from the front of the Highsmith Student Union to the North Asheville Library today, Feb. 24, between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., the university said in a note to faculty and staff. The trip connects campus directly to the closest early voting location during the primary’s early-voting window.

The service is open to all members of the campus community, including students who are registered to vote in Buncombe County or who wish to register locally, the university’s notice said. Early voting for the March 3, 2026 primary ends Feb. 28, 2026, and Primary Election Day is March 3, 2026. UNCA officials reminded riders that “Those wishing to vote must show a valid photo ID in accordance with state law. UNCA officials said university IDs qualify, provided the ID uses the holder’s legal name.”

UNCA’s internal planning document details the transportation office’s role and funding for the effort. The document states, “The UNCA Transportation Office has agreed to offer transportation to the polls for free on Election Day,” and adds, “During the early voting period, we have secured a grant to cover the cost of campus shuttles to transport students to the polls (the shuttles will be free for them to use).” The same document recounts that UNCA “provided free shuttles to the polls in April 2022 during the early voting period for the May primaries,” framing the current runs as continuity of campus efforts to reduce voting barriers.

The shuttle links into broader local transit context. Asheville’s ART system bases routes at the ART station, 49 Coxe Ave in downtown Asheville, and ART routes N1 and N2 serve multiple stops on and off UNCA’s campus. UNCA also participates in a Student ART Passport Program under which “Enrolled students may be eligible for a free ART bus pass provided by UNCA,” offering an alternative for students who travel independently to polling places beyond the shuttle route.

Local turnout has been brisk; county totals tracked more than 6,000 ballots cast in the first four days of early voting, underscoring the narrow window remaining before Feb. 28. UNCA’s shuttle is presented as a targeted mitigation of the campus’s geographic constraints: the internal document notes the closest early voting location is “over 2 miles away” and that many students “either do not or cannot have cars.”

Several operational details remain unspecified in available materials. The university’s note confirms the Feb. 24 run and states shuttles will operate during early voting and on Election Day, but it does not publish a full schedule for other early-voting days or for March 3, 2026; the internal document does not name the grantor or list shuttle capacity, return-trip times, ADA accessibility specifics, or whether pre-registration is required. As UNC Asheville runs the Feb. 24 shuttle, the service represents a concrete, funded step to lower transportation barriers for campus voters in the final days of early voting.