Durham group aims to make voting easier for college students

The 2024 election will be the first time many college students will be able to vote, but new voter ID requirements could make registration more difficult for out-of-state voters or those who are constantly moving around.

“A lot of us are first-time voters, so we’re unsure on how we go through the process, whether to get a voter registration card or to be able to use some of the identification for it,” college student Kai King said.

Because of this, many college students vote with provisional ballots. According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, the state offers provisional ballots if there are questions regarding:

• A voter’s qualification to vote.
• A voter’s eligibility to vote in a given election, or
• The voter’s eligibility to vote a specific ballot status.

According to North Carolina Central University professor Irving Joyner, those ballots come with a cost.

“There’s a high rejection rate with all provisional ballots, no matter where they are in the state,” he said.

Most students don’t find out about provisional ballots until it’s too late. However, Bull City Votes, a nonpartisan voting rights group, is trying to break those barriers.

The group is posted around Durham and college campuses, offering rides to the polls and student ID offices.

“When you make it easier to vote, we find that many more students vote because you eliminate those barriers,” Bull City Votes volunteer Thomas Johnson.

The group also encourages students to vote early, which will allow them time to fix voter status issues in advance.

For days, WRAL News has received several questions about how someone can check and make sure their vote counts.

Depending on how you choose to vote, there are different ways to determine if your vote was received and counted by your county board of elections.

For early voting

• Open your record on the State Board of Elections’ Voter Search tool on their website.
• Scroll down to the “Your Ballot: By Mail or Early Voting” section.
• If you voted during the early voting period, your “Voting Method” will be “EARLY VOTING,” your “Ballot Status” will show “Valid Return” and your “Vote Status will say “ACCEPTED.” This is updated the day after you cast your ballot at an early voting site.

For Election Day voting

• Use the Voter Search tool on the BOE website.
• Your ballot status will show up in the “Your Voter History” section as soon as your county completes the post-election process of assigning voter history.
• The “Voted Method” will be “IN-PERSON ELECTION DAY.” It may take a few weeks or longer after the election.

If you vote absentee by mail

• This includes military, overseas U.S. residents, and visually impaired voters who submit their ballots electronically.
• Open your record on the State Board of Elections’ Voter Search tool on their website.
• If you voted during the early voting period, your “Voting Method” will be “EARLY VOTING,” your “Ballot Status” will show “Valid Return” and your “Vote Status will say “ACCEPTED” or “ACCEPTED – CURED.” This is updated the day after you cast your ballot at an early voting site.

For people voting provisionally

• You can check the status of your ballot 10 days after the election through the
• You must fill out all four fields of the form, including the PIN given to you at the voting site where you voted provisionally.

If you have any questions about voting during the 2024 elections, you can read WRAL’s FAQ guide to voting.