ECU student organizations to host Greenville mayoral debate

East Carolina University student organizations Pirates Vote, the Student Government Association and Pi Sigma Alpha (ECU Political Science Honor Society) will host a mayoral debate for faculty, staff, students and community members to learn more about the two candidates running for Greenville mayor.

The ECU Department of Political Science and the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement (CLCE) will provide support to the student groups.

The debate is April 19 from 6-7 p.m. in the Main Campus Student Center’s Black Box Theater located at 501 E. 10th Street in Greenville.

Attendance for the debate is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in the parking deck for $1 per hour. The debate will also be available to view virtually through Microsoft Teams. More information can be found on ECU’s Engage site. 

Incumbent Mayor P.J. Connelly and candidate Elizabeth Liles will debate the issues that are important to Pirate Nation and the citizens of Greenville. The debate will be moderated by Dr. Jody Baumgartner, professor of political science, and Daniel Morgan, an ECU student who is also the director of local and state affairs for the Student Government Association. The Pirates Vote team will offer voter registration at the event.

“We are excited to help our students organize this event for the campus and for the local community,” said Alex Dennis, assistant director of the CLCE. “Local elections are very important and learning about the candidates prior to voting is even more important. Our hope is to increase participation in local elections and to encourage everyone that is eligible to vote.” 

Pirates Vote is a nonpartisan initiative within the CLCE that works to remove barriers students may face when registering to vote and when voting. The Andrew Goodman Foundation has been a great partner for the voter engagement work at ECU and has created a unique online portal for ECU students to check their registration, register, request an absentee ballot and educate themselves about the candidates and the issues on the ballot, Dennis said.

The Main Campus Student Center has also been designated as a one-stop early voting site for Pitt County, making it convenient for students who are registered to use their campus or apartment address to vote. Early voting begins on April 28 and runs through May 14.

Free parking will be available for voters directly across the street from the student center with early voting signage provided to direct voters to the polling site.

For more information on the hours of operation, visit the Pitt County Board of Elections website.

For additional information about the mayoral debate or the Pirates Vote initiative, contact Dennis at dennisa15@ecu.edu or 252-737-4988.

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Contact: Alex Dennis, assistant director, Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement, dennisa15@ecu.edu, 252-737-4988