Norfolk City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday to establish a new voting precinct on the campus of Norfolk State University, which advocates say will remove barriers that have kept students from casting ballots.
The ordinance carves out a new Norfolk State precinct from the existing Chesterfield precinct, with voting at the NSU Student Center. A legal fight over an attempted congressional redistricting had stalled the proposal since May.
Tara Alexander, the director of retention and assessment at NSU, said she regularly sees students encounter obstacles with voter registration and civic engagement.
“Many of our out-of-state students come to school planning to vote at home, but those plans don’t always work out. As a result, they end up registering at the precinct on Election Day,” Alexander said.
A campus precinct would ease pressure on Chesterfield poll workers and support civic participation among young voters, Alexander said.
“Research has consistently shown that voter participation increases when polling places are conveniently located within communities,” Alexander said. “For many students, particularly first-time voters, the presence of a polling location on campus could mean the difference between intending to vote and actually casting a ballot.”
Nikia Rollins, a retention assessment specialist at NSU?, said transportation is a major hurdle for the university’s 6,000 students who rely on off-campus polling sites.
“Coordinating transportation around class schedules, work and other responsibilities can be difficult,” Rollins said. “For many students, finding the time to travel to a polling place becomes a significant obstacle to exercising their right to vote.”
Councilman Carlos Clanton said the change comes at a critical moment.
“We often hear that young people are not participating in the voting process or just in government as a whole,” Clanton said. "Making voting easy and accessible for them, especially now when voting is under attack, allows Norfolk to move forward."
Mayor Kenny Alexander credited city voter registrar Stephanie Iles for pushing for the change.
“I want to thank Stephanie Iles, who brought this idea to me about three years ago, and she worked tirelessly to make this happen,” Alexander said.
The polling station will be ready for the Nov. 3 general election.
