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Voters, commissioners spar over possible move of Board of Elections from Youngstown
Summary
Public speakers at the Mahoning County commissioners meeting urged officials not to move the Board of Elections out of Youngstown, saying transportation and access would disenfranchise voters; commissioners and staff said no final decision has been made and that building useful life and renovation costs factor into relocation planning.
Several residents at the Mahoning County Board of Commissioners meeting on July 24 urged the board to keep the Board of Elections in downtown Youngstown, arguing that moving election administration to an Austintown site would make voting harder for residents who lack transportation.
Why it matters: Changes to the physical location of election services can affect voter access, especially for residents who rely on public transit. Speakers said the current downtown site is on an established transit route and accessible to voters from multiple jurisdictions.
Annie Gillum, 1724 Kimmel Street, told commissioners that younger people are already disengaged and that making the Board of Elections harder to reach “is going to be disenfranchising” for people without cars. She said moving offices would make it harder for residents to vote and asked whether the county had considered…
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