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Resident questions use of Austintown building bought for Board of Elections; county official notes early voting availability
Summary
A Goshen Township resident asked why a building purchased in Austintown for the Board of Elections has not been put into use; the resident urged a centrally located facility given voter distribution, and a county official noted Ohio allows 30 days of early voting and that current election equipment is "safe where it's at now."
Tom Marones, a Goshen Township resident, told commissioners he had a question about a building purchased in Austintown that he understood was intended for the Board of Elections. "The building that you purchased in Austintown was supposed to be to for the election board to move into. Why haven't we done anything with it?" he said.
Marones said the Board of Elections’ current location is not a good place because of its condition and urged a more central site given the county’s voter distribution. He cited registered‑voter numbers in several places and argued a facility nearer to Canfield would be more convenient for older residents who do not feel safe traveling downtown Youngstown. "We have 63,438 voters in Mahoning County...Youngstown's got 39,757 voters...Austintown with 25,586 voters...Canfield's got 6,068," Marones said.
A county official noted that Ohio provides 30 days of early voting, adding that absentee ballots and early in‑person voting are equivalent forms of casting ballots under state procedures; the official also said the county’s election equipment is currently safe. The transcript does not record any follow‑up motion or a timetable to open or fit out the Austintown building.
Why it matters: Marones described transportation and convenience concerns for voters in outlying parts of the county and flagged the purchased Austintown property as a potential solution for the Board of Elections’ operations; the county’s response focused on voting options already available and the present safety of election equipment.
