Norfolk City Council voted 8-0 Tuesday to establish a new voting precinct on the campus of Norfolk State University, which advocates say will remove barriers that have kept students from casting ballots.
The ordinance carves out a new Norfolk State precinct from the existing Chesterfield precinct, with voting at the NSU Student Center. A legal fight over an attempted congressional redistricting had stalled the proposal since May.
Tara Alexander, the director of retention and assessment at NSU, said she regularly sees students encounter obstacles with voter registration and civic engagement…