Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Gibson County commissioners approve moving several polling places to larger, more secure sites
Summary
Election officials recommended moving voters from three smaller polling sites into the Open City Community Center and consolidating two northern sites into Patoka Methodist to improve accessibility, security and capacity; commissioners approved the plan and directed voter notification through March 2026.
Gibson County election officials presented and the county commissioners approved a plan to consolidate multiple polling locations ahead of the 2026 election cycle.
The county’s election official (identified in the meeting transcript as Missus Smith) told commissioners she and the county election board "recommend the following changes for the 20 26 elections and beyond," proposing moves from Mackie Church preschool, the Summerville Fire Station and the Francisco Lions Club to the Open City Community Center because of security, accessibility and capacity concerns. For northern precincts, she recommended moving voters from Mount Olympus Gym and the Hazleton Community Center to the Patoka Methodist Church Family and Life Center.
Missus Smith cited inspections and security guidance: several smaller sites lack dedicated on-site generators, have limited parking or gravel lots not conducive to mobility devices, and in some cases have limited or uncertain emergency response times. She said the Open City Community Center can "handle 2,054 voters total," which the presentation translated to roughly 171 voters per hour.
Commissioners discussed the recommendation, with one commissioner saying Missus Smith had briefed members individually. A motion to follow the recommendation was made and seconded; the chair called the vote and commissioners recorded their approval.
Missus Smith outlined an outreach plan: voters will be notified by mail of any precinct or polling-place changes between now and March 2026, supplemented by social media, signs, newspaper and radio. She also referenced an upcoming recommendation from Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales about vote centers, and said the county would return for additional explanation if vote centers are implemented statewide.
The change will reduce the county’s polling locations to six and, according to the election official’s presentation, will modestly reduce rental costs in at least one consolidated site. Commissioners did not set a separate timeline in the meeting beyond the planned voter notifications and did not specify an effective date beyond the 2026 cycle.
What’s next: election staff will carry out the notification and outreach plan described in the meeting and will return to commissioners with details if statewide vote-center recommendations are adopted.
