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Electoral Board weighs Bacon-Saxe precinct location, cites school-safety and access concerns
Summary
Board members reported meeting with the acting superintendent and measuring distances between Saxe and Bacon schools; concerns include student safety, long walks from parking and limits on using school facilities for June elections. The Board will pursue site visits and contact other local churches.
The Charlotte County Electoral Board on Aug. 9, 2019 discussed possible sites for the Bacon-Saxe precinct, with Chair Glenwood Foster and Vice-Chair Lawrence Clark reporting they had met with Mr. Robbie Mason, acting superintendent of the Charlotte County school system. Mason told the Board the district will mark election day as a work day on next year’s school calendar but that the school cannot accommodate June elections, the Board said.
Why it matters: Choosing a polling location affects voter access, student safety and logistics for election day. Board members said Saxe School is more centrally located in the district than Bacon District School, which sits toward the southern end of the precinct and could require voters to walk a longer distance from parking to the polling place.
The Chair and Vice-Chair said they met with local business owners in the Saxe area but did not identify an alternative site. The Board reported measuring distances from the ends of the district to both Saxe and Bacon District schools and concluded that Saxe is centrally located while Bacon District School is toward the lower part of the precinct. Board members also raised concerns that individuals under restraining orders related to school property could not be legally excluded from a polling place located on school grounds.
Board members repeatedly emphasized that student safety would be the Board’s first obligation if a school is used as a voting place. The Board said it will contact other churches in the Saxe area to explore options and will discuss parking and related logistical concerns at a meeting before the September session. Chair Glenwood Foster said he would contact the Bacon District principal to arrange a site visit the week of Aug. 19.
The session included a recognition of former Electoral Board member Sandra Marston and recorded that there were no public comments during the meeting.
