Wake Democrats push to restore Talley Union early voting site

Wake Democrats pressed county commissioners on Monday to add $200,000 so early voting could return to Talley Student Union, carrying a petition with 60,000 signatures after the county’s new Republican-majority elections board moved the NC State site to the Business Services Center. The campus switch would push voting about a mile from Talley and across Western Boulevard, a change Democrats say would make the trip less convenient for students, faculty, staff and nearby West Raleigh voters who already juggle classes, work and commutes.

Talley has been part of Wake County’s early-voting map for years. Gerry Cohen, the Democratic board member, said the student center was used for early voting in the 2012, 2018, 2020 and 2024 general elections and in several primaries, and NC State uses the site as a central way for campus residents and the broader Wake County community to vote. Wake County figures show that in the 2026 primary, 3,419 voters used the Talley site, and more than 4,300 ballots were cast there during the first four days of the 2024 general election.

North Carolina law lets eligible voters cast early ballots at any early-voting site in their county, and same-day registration is available during the early-voting period for voters who have lived in the county for at least 30 days before Election Day. For the 2026 general election, in-person early voting runs from Oct. 15 through 3 p.m. Oct. 31, ahead of the Nov. 3 vote.

Even if commissioners approve the extra money, it would not by itself restore Talley. The Wake County Board of Elections would still have to accept the funding and place the site back on campus. Republican-controlled election boards have recently blocked or narrowed campus voting plans at Western Carolina University, North Carolina A&T, UNC Greensboro and Elon, and North Carolina still has more on-campus early-voting sites than it did in 2022, state data show.