Although the crowd was small at Monday's public hearing, the consensus was overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed relocation of two voting precincts in Russellville.
Under consideration is the consolidation of the Electric Board Warehouse and College Avenue School locations into one central polling place at the A.W. Todd Centre. The precincts would remain independent precincts and each would use half the Todd Centre on election day, according to Franklin County Probate Judge Barry Moore, who presided over the March 20th meeting at the A.W. Todd Centre.
“What we are trying to do is establish a voting center, not change precinct lines. It's just a change where people go to vote,” Moore said.
A local bill has been introduced in Montgomery that would allow the commission to consolidate two voting precincts in the future as a cost saving measure for the county. This means future consolidations would not require a legislative act, but would require a public hearing before approval.
The Alabama Legislature is in the middle of a two-week break, but Moore hopes to see the matter approved once the legislation returns to session.
“A public hearing is a prerequisite for the bill to be passes. It's a general act that allows the combination of two or more precincts with no future local act,” Moore said.
Approximately 15 citizens attended Monday's meeting and shared concerns about parking safety at the Electric Board Warehouse and lighting and facilities concerns at College Avenue.
“They have been very accommodating at the Electric Board Warehouse but there's just not much parking on Jackson Avenue,” Moore said. “It's dangerous to park on the side of the road and there's a long walk to the polls.”
The proposed move would only apply to county elections and would not affect Russellville municipal elections, Moore said.
In the November 2016 general election, 507 voters cast ballots at College Avenue and 621 at the Electric Warehouse.
Among the attendees were Franklin County Commissioners Rayburn Massey and Jason Miller, who expressed their appreciation to Moore for working to make voting safer and more convenient for the public.
“I appreciate Judge Moore's efforts working on this. He's done a lot of work and it's appreciated,” Miller said.
