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Madison County board to seek quotes to expand sanctuary for early voting
Summary
A county elections official asked the board to repurpose a large 'sanctuary' room as an expanded early‑voting site for May, citing more than 11,000 early votes in November 2024 and an active voter roll of roughly 22,000–24,000; commissioners asked staff to get quotes for electrical, accessibility and staging work and report back before April 27.
Tracy Dean, identified in the meeting as representing the Board of Lexington, told the Madison County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 23 that the county needs more space for early voting ahead of the May election. "In November 2024, we voted over 11,000 voters in a 3 week period," Dean said, noting the county has "22 22000 active voters, total about 24,000 in the county." She asked to use the sanctuary room in a county building and outlined required upgrades: electrical capacity for more voting machines, removal of two stages to allow level access to scanners, a dedicated exit to avoid congestion and improved handicap parking and access.
Dean said preliminary measurements suggest the room could hold many more machines — she discussed doubling the current 15 machines to 30 and noted a theoretical capacity above that — but emphasized the need to verify electrical and accessibility work. She told commissioners the work would need to be finished "by or before April 27," and that if county staff cannot complete it in time she would like the board to consider hiring a contractor.
Commissioners and staff questioned technical needs and logistics. One commissioner asked about data communications for voting machines and staff replied the county's machines are not Internet‑connected. The board discussed whether to upsize electrical panels now to avoid repeated work later and the chair indicated he would use his purchasing authority to authorize initial work and asked staff to prepare formal quotes and documentation.
The board did not authorize a dollar amount at the meeting but directed staff to gather quotes and return with a formal proposal and cost estimate. The chair said staff should attempt to plan "one time" upgrades that would accommodate future increases in early‑voting demand.
Next steps: staff will obtain contractor and materials quotes and present cost and timeline options to the board for formal approval before the April 27 target date.
