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After a historic turnout for early voters in North Carolina's 2026 general midterm election, Election Day looms on Tuesday, November 3rd. Autumn Smith covers the nationally focused senate race between Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, along with what is showing up on North Carolina ballots this year.
Reports show that a search warrant was executed at Sigma Nu fraternity house at NC State on Friday. The Greek Village home, criticised due to hazing allegations, is currently under a criminal investigation, where Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman anticipates charges levied at members of the fraternity chapter.
Eye on the Triangle is a podcast produced by WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2, student-run radio from NC State University. Like what you hear? Consider supporting it with a gift to the WKNC Enhancement Fund. Visit our podcast page to hear more and follow us on all social media platforms @WKNC881. Thanks for listening.
Reports show that a search warrant was executed at Sigma Nu fraternity house at NC State on Friday. The Greek Village home, criticised due to hazing allegations, is currently under a criminal investigation, where Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman anticipates charges levied at members of the fraternity chapter.
Eye on the Triangle is a podcast produced by WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2, student-run radio from NC State University. Like what you hear? Consider supporting it with a gift to the WKNC Enhancement Fund. Visit our podcast page to hear more and follow us on all social media platforms @WKNC881. Thanks for listening.
Creators and Guests
What is Eye on the Triangle?
"Eye on the Triangle" is your source for local news, reviews and interviews. Roughly an hour of programming, this block is essentially the NPR of WKNC. Tune in to hear about news and events around Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and the surrounding communities. To find out more about our program or learn how NC State students can join the team, email us at wknc-publicaffairs@ncsu.edu.
00:04
Autumn Smith
You are now listening to Eye on the Triangle, WKNC's weekly public affairs program from the campus of North Carolina State University. Any views and opinions expressed during eye on the triangle do not represent NC State or student media. This is WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 Raleigh. Hello and thank you for tuning in to Eye on the Triangle. This is Autumn Smith with WKNC. Here is your weekly news roundup North Carolina saw record numbers for early voting during the 2026 midterm elections, with early voting closing on October 31. Reports show that almost 700,000 more voters showed up for this year's early voting period than in 2022, with 2.8 million North Carolinians casting a ballot at an early voting site.
00:51
Autumn Smith
According to research conducted by North Carolina Free Enterprise foundation, out of all ballots cast in North Carolina this year, 38% are registered Democrats and 35% are unaffiliated voters, while only 26% are registered Republicans. While Democrats often outshow Republicans in early voting in North Carolina, according to the assembly, at least 14% of registered Democrats casted ballots, compared to 6.5% of Republicans. National attention is focused on North Carolina's senator race, prominently between Democrat Roy Cooper, who previously served as the 75th governor of the state, and Michael Whatley, former chair of the Republican National Committee to serve a six year term as United States Senator. A WRAL and WSOC poll conducted on October 13th gave Roy Cooper a 14 point lead, with 54% of North Carolinians saying they would likely vote for Cooper, 40% for Whatley, and 6% either undecided or voting for a different candidate.
01:47
Autumn Smith
Another poll shows about 60% of voters in North Carolina disapproving of President Donald Trump's current administration. There is speculation that this approval of the president correlates with Whatley's campaign underperforming. Senator Thom Tillis is among a number of Republicans who disagree with the current Trump administration, citing the Big Beautiful bill Act in 2025 as the reason he did not seek reelection this midterm cycle. In an interview with WUNC on October 15, Tillis said Whatley's campaign is focusing too hard on criminal justice instead of affordability, an issue targeted by Cooper's make stuff cost less campaign. Polls also show that majority of North Carolinians hold interests that align closer to Cooper's campaign than Whatley's.
02:30
Autumn Smith
A Catawba College YouGov survey from 2026 reports that 54% of North Carolinians oppose sending U.S. troops into Iran with Cooper focusing his campaign on ending the war, while Whatley supports further destabilizing opposition in Iran. As North Carolina soon faces Election Day, Cooper is favored to become the state's first Democratic senator in over a decade, while Donald Trump won North Carolina in his three presidential bids. The state also elected Cooper as governor in two of these elections, leaving this Senate race up to the candidate that best reflects the beliefs of North Carolina voters. The historic early voter turnout in North Carolina is also to elect 170 seats in the General Assembly, 14 U.S. house seats, North Carolina Supreme Court and NC Court of Appeals seats, and three constitutional amendments.
03:17
Autumn Smith
In Raleigh, ballots are electing a new mayor, city Council seats and various positions in Wake County. Election Day falls on Tuesday, November 3rd. Polling sites will open at 6:30am with lines closing at 7:30pm Any voters waiting in line to vote at 7:30pm are still eligible to cast a ballot at their polling site. To find out your designated polling site on Election Day, listeners can visit vt.ncsbe.gov. A police investigation took place on Friday at the Sigma Nu fraternity at NC State, according to WRAL.
03:52
Autumn Smith
The fraternity chapter was recently placed under an interim suspension by NC State and Sigma Nu due to hazing allegations. Campus police executed a search warrant at the fraternity house as part of a criminal investigation, according to Carolina Journal. An anonymous report posted to social media on October 15 alleges that pledges at the Sigma Nu fraternity suffered physical abuse and forced consumption of substances. While police have not confirmed this, Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman speculates that criminal charges could result from the investigation, according to WRAL, NC State's university statement on Hazing says that the university prohibits hazing by any member of the University committee in retaliation against any person reporting hazing or participating in any investigation or disciplinary proceeding involving hazing.
04:42
Autumn Smith
The University defines hazing as any intentional, reckless or negligent activity related to organizational membership or potential membership that creates a risk of harm above the reasonable risk encountered in the course of participation in the organization. For campus hazing resources, including a report page for instances of hazing, listeners can visit hazing.dasa.ncsu.edu. This has been Eye on the Triangle from WKNC 88.1 FM HD1 Raleigh.
05:17
Autumn Smith
Our theme song is City Lights by BerryDeep, licensed under Creative Commons. To relisten to this or any other episode, visit wknc.org podcast or subscribe to Eye on the Triangle on your favorite podcast site or app. Thank you for listening.