‘Souls to the Polls’ draws large crowd
Locals march to the early voting location at the Anderson Center on Saturday, Feb. 22. The march was part of the annual “Souls to the Polls” event.
The local chapter of Democracy North Carolina did their part to ensure citizens exercise their right to vote when they hosted their annual Souls to the Polls event on Saturday, Feb. 22.
The event began with breakfast at the Enterprise Center. While enjoying breakfast, citizens listened to various speakers who talked about the upcoming elections and the importance of voting. Following breakfast, dozens bundled up, put on their best walking shoes, and marched to the Anderson Center on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, where they cast their ballots.
In the past, the Souls to the Polls event was held at a local church, but the location was changed this year to draw attention to the early voting location on the campus of WSSU. This is the first time early voting has been on the campus since 2013, when then Board of Elections Chair Ken Raymond came forward with allegations that a professor was giving students course credits for voting at the early voting site on campus.
Although Raymond’s allegations were never confirmed, WSSU hasn’t had an early voting site on campus since, until this year. During a Board of Elections meeting last October, the board made it clear that they would not approve any early voting sites unless WSSU was included.
As voters made their way down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive to cast their ballots at the Anderson Center, they yelled out various chants: “This is what democracy looks like,” and “Stand against hate” echoed through the streets as the citizens marched. Several elected officials participated in the march as well.
Before joining others on the 1.5 mile walk from the Enterprise Center to the Anderson Center, Forsyth County Commissioner Tonya McDaniel praised Democracy NC and others who sponsored the event for bringing so many people together.
“It’s great that we have such a wonderful turnout this morning,” said McDaniel, who is a graduate of WSSU. “This shows that people truly understand how important this election is.”
Early voting ends this Saturday, Feb. 29, at 3 p.m. For a complete list of early voting sites, visit the Forsyth County Board of Elections “Early Voting” tab. You can also download a sample ballot.
