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Norfolk election officials propose dedicated Norfolk State University precinct to boost student turnout
Summary
City election director proposed creating a Norfolk State University precinct and using the student union as an ADA-accessible polling place; staff said 1,023 students are already registered on campus and the change could be in place for the Nov. 3 midterms if redistricting litigation permits.
Stephanie Iles, Norfolk’s director of elections and general registrar, asked the City Council to approve a new precinct that would serve students living on the Norfolk State University campus and use the university’s student union as the polling location.
Iles said there are currently 1,023 registered voters living on campus and as many as 3,000 students who could register there. Under the proposal, those on-campus voters would be moved out of Chesterfield Precinct, reducing that precinct’s registered voter count from roughly 3,303 to about 2,280, she said. The student-union polling site is ADA-accessible and curbside voting would be staged behind the building.
The change, Iles said, is intended to increase voter participation among younger residents and could also expand the pool of local volunteer officers of election. The elections office has discussed the plan with Norfolk State for several years, and Brianna Steele of Norfolk State attended the meeting to signal the university’s support.
Iles cautioned that the proposal is on hold while litigation over recent redistricting remains unresolved; no changes to polling places can be implemented while that process is pending. If litigation allows, the office’s goal is to bring the precinct change to a council vote before the council’s summer recess so it could be effective for the Nov. 3 midterm election.
The council did not take a final vote on the precinct during the work session. Iles said the city would notify affected registered voters of any change in polling place before it took effect.
