Wake County moves NC State early voting site from Talley to Western Boulevard

Wake County election officials moved NC State’s early voting site away from Talley Student Union and to the NC State Business Services center off Western Boulevard, shifting the county’s most familiar campus voting spot farther from the center of main campus. The change matters because it alters the walk from class, the need for a car or bus ride, and how easily students, faculty, staff and nearby residents can cast a ballot between obligations.

The Wake County Board of Elections approved the Business Services location on June 12, rejecting Gerry Cohen’s effort to keep Talley in place. One account described the vote as unanimous, while detailed reporting characterized it as a 3-2 split that would have sent the decision to the state board had it been divided. Republican board members said the Business Services building would be easier for voters to park at, while Cohen argued Talley better served the roughly 47,000 people who live, study and work at NC State.

Talley Student Union has been used for early voting in the 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2024 general elections, along with several primaries. NC State student advocates said Talley has served as an early voting site since 2017, and that history has made it feel like a stable part of campus voting. That stability now gives way to a site that is still on university property but no longer in the middle of the campus footprint most students know best.

For voters trying to fit the process around classes or work, the difference between Talley and the Business Services center is practical, not symbolic. Talley sits at the heart of the student route network on NC State main campus. The Western Boulevard site is farther out, which can make walking less convenient and add a layer of planning for anyone relying on a bus, a ride from a friend or a narrow break between lectures.

The change lands before a busy election calendar. North Carolina’s 2026 general election is Nov. 3, and in-person early voting runs from Oct. 15 through Oct. 31. During that period, voters may cast a ballot at any early voting site in their county, and eligible voters may register and vote at the same time. Wake County also tells college students they may register either where they attend school or at their home address, making site location especially important for students deciding where to vote locally.

The broader backdrop is a state political shift that has made campus polling places more contested. Republicans gained control of state and local election boards last year after a law changed appointment power, and North Carolina election boards have faced repeated fights over student access. In Wake County, this decision leaves NC State voters with a site that may still work, but no longer carries the same centrality or convenience as Talley.