With the 2014 general election only weeks away, the New Hanover County Board of Elections began discussing potential changes for the 2015 election, including fewer polling locations with more polls in public school facilities.
County elections director Marvin McFadyen shared a possible plan for consolidating polling locations, dropping the number of sites from 43 to 30.
No state law dictates the number of polling places required for each county or precinct, McFadyen said, and the process of redrawing precincts is bound by more rules and considerations than combining precincts.
Chair John Ferrante said the board hopes to address concerns about parking and space at some county polling sites, which could serve as a deterrent to voters, through the changes. He cited theMyrtle Grove Public Library, which serves precinct M04,as an example where voters have complained about inadequate parking and limited space inside the building.
“It’s a bad experience, and that doesn’t encourage people to vote,” Ferrante said. “It’s all about making it easy for people to vote.”
Board member Tannis Nelson requested use of New Hanover County Schools facilities when possible, following the elections board’s Sept. 16 meeting with the New Hanover County Board of Education to discuss the possibility of designating primary and general Election Days as teacher work days.
Currently, schools remain in session as voters visit campuses to cast ballots. The elections board cited concerns about space and traffic congestion as a motivation for the request. The school board listed student safety as a benefit of the change.
The elections board is looking at ways to use more public spaces as polling locations.
“The schools belong to citizens and I think sometimes we forget that. Some citizens never go into our schools,” Nelson said. “If we’re going to ask for the schools, I want to utilize all the schools we can.”
Ferrante agreed, but only if switching to school facilities will better serve voters. Before schools are designated as new polling sites, McFadyen said each potential site would be surveyed and analyzed based on parking, accessibility and space.
The school board requested a more specific plan from the elections board before they revisit the proposal during an Oct. 14 meeting, sparking the board’s early discussion of the changes.
Fourteen county schools will serve as polling locations for the 2014 general election. The tentative plan discussed by the elections board Sept. 30 included 18 schools out of 30 polling sites.
A final consolidation plan must be approved by the state Board of Elections.
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