Voters, commissioners spar over possible move of Board of Elections from Youngstown

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 transportation impacts.

Anita Davis, identified as a member of Youngstown’s Sixth Ward City Council, said the Board of Elections location “is right there on a route,” and warned the board that moving it could disenfranchise residents of Youngstown, Campbell and Struthers who depend on transit. “Please do not, if it has to come to it, don't move our Board of Elections,” she said.

Commissioners and staff said the Board of Elections was not part of early planning for the Patriot Building in Austintown and that no final decision has been made. One commissioner described the factors that are considered in building decisions: the useful life of the existing building, the cost to renovate aging infrastructure and whether it is more cost‑effective to move to a building with better “bones.” The commissioner said the county would take the needs of every township and city into account when making decisions and that no final decision had been made.

Alan (facilities director) said facilities staff regularly inspect and perform maintenance, and that the Board of Elections storage area has fire suppression piping that was replaced with new copper piping when the board moved in. He said there were no outstanding reports of active leaks or obvious signs of disrepair and that “there's always a possibility” of piping issues in any building.

At the meeting a county official stated the Patriot Building was purchased for $2,500,000, that an estimated $2,000,000 might be needed to renovate space for offices, and that the replacement cost of building the same structure today would be about $15,000,000. The official said the board of elections “was never a part of that original conversation” about the Patriot Building and that many agencies have inspected the site; final decisions about departments relocating would be up to the commissioners.

Discussion versus action: The meeting record shows public comment and discussion by commissioners and staff but no formal motion or vote to relocate the Board of Elections. Commissioners said they would consider accessibility and costs in any future decision.

What was not specified: No schedule, formal relocation plan, or final cost estimate for moving the Board of Elections was presented at the meeting. No formal commitment to keep or move the office was made on the record.

Next steps: Commissioners said additional locations are being considered and that, if a relocation is proposed, the board would make a final decision after weighing accessibility, renovation costs and countywide needs. Residents were urged to raise concerns with commissioners if they want the board to prioritize keeping elections services in Youngstown.