MORRISVILLE, NC (January, 13, 2026) – Following a tense meeting to review early voting plans for the 2026 primary elections, the North Carolina State Board of Elections approved a Guilford County plan that will systematically disenfranchise historic Black communities and eliminate voting access for students at North Carolina A&T State University, the nation’s largest public HBCU.
The approved plan strips away early voting sites that have served Black voters in Guilford County for over a decade, including Washington Terrace Park in High Point, Barber Park in southeast Greensboro, and the polling location at North Carolina A&T.
“This plan is an attack on Black voting rights and an attempt to silence an entire generation of young voters,” said Adrienne Kelly, Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina. “When you deliberately strip away polling sites Black communities have depended on for years, including at the largest HBCU in America, you’re erecting barriers designed to suppress Black student voices and deny young people their fundamental freedom to vote.”
Without nearby early voting sites, residents in southwestern and southeastern Guilford County must travel outside their neighborhoods to vote, a burden compounded by limited public transportation. The eliminated sites also provided critical access to same-day voter registration, allowing new voters to register and vote simultaneously. Without this proximity, young and first-time voters face a greater risk of ballot rejection due to registration errors.
“The deliberate nature of these changes is undeniable. The county used these same sites for the 2024 primary,” Kelly said. “Choosing to eliminate these sites now reveals the true intent to silence Black student voices and make it harder for young people to claim their power. But here’s what they don’t understand: you cannot suppress a generation that knows its worth. These young people will organize, mobilize, and show up, no matter what obstacles are put in their way. Democracy wins when we fight for it together.”
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Democracy North Carolina is a statewide nonpartisan organization that uses research, organizing, and advocacy to strengthen democratic structures, build power among disenfranchised communities, and inspire confidence in a transformed political process that works for all.