Early voting begins at ECU’s Newman Center

Voters line up outside the Newman Center at East Carolina University Oct. 24. The center is one of six sites in Pitt County to host early voting.

At least 60 voters lined up before 11 a.m., Oct. 24, at ECU’s one-stop, early voting site at the campus’ Newman Center.

Regularly home to ECU’s Catholic community, the chapel in the back of the cozy house on the lip of campus is now host to 20 ballot boxes, elections equipment, and a half dozen or so elections officials.

“They wanted to have a place on campus to make sure students voted,” said Fr. Bill Quigley, who is director of the center. “This is part of our regular outreach services. We are handicap-accessible and willing to assist.”

This is the first time ECU has had a polling place near or on campus. It is one of six early voter registration sites across Pitt County.
The Newman center site opened a little later than other polling sites in Pitt County. Quigley said they had to turn away would-be voters until Oct. 24.

“We’ve had a lot of people come to the Newman Center this week wanting to vote,” he said.

Voters, 20 at a time, can cast their ballots, hand marking their selections with a pen and then submit it to the tabulation machine near the entry of the chapel.

At Wright Plaza, students who are proponents of both parties have set up tables encouraging students to get out the vote. A campus “march to vote” rally was scheduled for noon on Friday.

The Newman Center is located at 953 E. 10th Street, a few doors down from the Fletcher Recital Hall. Polling hours are from Oct. 24 through Nov. 1, Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. There are no Sunday polling hours at the Newman Center. The Community Schools Building on County Home Road will hold Sunday voting Oct. 26 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For information about the other polling sites, call the Pitt County Board of Elections at 252-902-3300.