Early Voting in Durham County for March 3 Primary Election

Karsh Alumni and Visitors Center on Duke’s campus will serve as an early voting location in Durham County for the March 3 Primary Elections beginning Thursday, Feb. 12, through Saturday, Feb. 28.

During the early voting period, voters may cast their ballot at any polling location in the county where they are registered to vote. Karsh and other early voting polling locations in Durham will be open from 8 am-7:30 pm Mondays through Fridays, 8 am-3 pm on Saturdays, and 2 pm-6 pm on Sundays. All other early voting polling locations in counties across North Carolina can be found here.

Karsh is a short walk from Abele Quad on West Campus, and ample free parking is available for voters. Students, employees, and residents who are registered to vote in Durham County are encouraged to use the on-campus early voting location. The address is 2080 Duke University Rd, Durham, NC 27708.

Voter Registration

If you missed the February 6th voter registration deadline, same-day voter registration is available during the early voting period at one-stop polling locations. If you register during the early voting period, you must provide proof of residence with your name and current address. This can include a North Carolina driver’s license, other photo ID issued by a government agency, a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or a government-issued document.

Duke students living on campus only need to show a physical DukeCard or Duke Student Voter ID Card as proof of residency. Duke students living off campus have the option of showing a Duke-issued document with their name and current address AND a physical DukeCard or Duke Student Voter ID Card, or any other of the aforementioned documents with their name and current address.

Voter ID

North Carolina voters are required to provide photo identification when voting in-person or by absentee ballot. Acceptable forms of ID can include:

  • North Carolina driver’s license
  • State ID from the NCDMV for NC residents (also called “non-operator ID”)
  • Driver’s license or non-driver ID from another state, District of Columbia or U.S. territory (only if voter registered in North Carolina within 90 days of the election)
  • U.S. Passport or U.S. Passport card
  • North Carolina voter photo ID card issued by a county board of elections
  • College or university student ID approved by the State Board of Elections
  • State or local government or charter school employee ID approved by the State Board of Elections

The physical DukeCard and Duke Student Voter ID Card are approved by the State Board of Elections as a valid form of photo ID for students. The DukeCard Office will be in the Wilder Building (beside Karsh) on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the early voting period for any students who need a Duke ID card, or at The Link in Perkins Library. Students must show a government-issued ID to pick up a card.  The mobile DukeCard is not approved as a valid form of ID for voting. Additional details on NC’s voter ID requirement can be found here.

Voting on Election Day

On Election Day, voters are assigned a polling location based on their residential address. Karsh is NOT an Election Day polling place. Students living on East Campus will vote at Watts Elementary School, 700 Watts St., while West Campus residents can vote at Patterson Recreation Center, 2614 Crest St. Other Election Day polling locations can be found here. 

Duke University’s voting policy for employees can be found on the Duke Human Resources website. Additional information on registering to vote, voting and voter ID requirements can be found on the NC Board of Elections website or the Duke Votes website.