Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Russell County registrar urges delay to precinct changes; county lacks deputy registrar and seeks pay increase
Summary
With early voting weeks away, Russell County's registrar asked the Board of Supervisors to delay any polling-place ordinance changes until after the election to avoid confusing voters. The county also discussed a long-running deputy registrar vacancy and a request to increase pay to attract qualified candidates.
Diane Shorter, Russell County's general registrar, told the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday that the electoral board has recommended leaving current polling places unchanged for the coming election, and to postpone any ordinance changes until after early voting concludes.
Shorter said the recent closures of polling sites at Swords Creek and Copper Creek required the electoral board to reassess backup locations for Cleveland. The board, Shorter said, inspected potential backup sites and determined the Cleveland fire hall would meet Department of Elections and Code of Virginia requirements as an emergency site. But she urged the supervisors to defer adopting any ordinance changes before early voting starts so the Department of Elections and the registrar's office have time to notify affected voters and print updated voter cards.
"We are less than three weeks away from early voting," Shorter said. "Making any changes at this point would be counterproductive and could confuse voters." She recommended the board consider ordinance changes in December or later so staff and the state can complete required notifications.
Shorter also reported the registrar's office has been operating without a deputy registrar for more than a year (the vacancy dates to last July). She said recruitment is hampered by low pay: the current pay for the deputy position is $13.90 per hour, while candidates and comparable jurisdictions indicate a competitive rate of about $18–$20 per hour. Shorter said the deputy must be qualified to run the office in the general registrar's absence and that the long vacancy leaves the office vulnerable if the registrar is ill or unavailable.
Supervisors agreed to delay precinct rule changes until after the election and asked Shorter to publish precinct locations and any future changes via newspapers and the county website. Several supervisors urged the board to consider raising the deputy's pay and asked county staff to review budget options to fund a competitive salary before the next election cycle.
