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Electoral board recommends moving East Hampton polling place to Hampton Convocation Center; chair voices dissent on other changes
Summary
The Hampton Electoral Board told council its unanimous recommendation to relocate East Hampton's polling place to the Hampton Convocation Center would restore in‑precinct voting and fix infrastructure problems at Phoebus High School; board chair Rebecca Wynne dissented on a second, broader set of precinct consolidations that two members supported.
The Hampton Electoral Board urged City Council to move the East Hampton polling place from Phoebus High School to the Hampton Convocation Center, citing poor cellular and Wi‑Fi service and overcrowding at the current site.
"My name is Rebecca Wynne. I'm the chair of the Hampton Election Board," Wynne said, explaining the board's unanimous recommendation to relocate the East Hampton polling location back inside the precinct. Wynne said officers were often forced to step outside the school to make calls during elections and that lines in the recent presidential election averaged three hours for voters at that site.
Board secretary Matthew Scott, who made the motion, told council the Convocation Center offers multiple access points, larger indoor space and room to stage lines more effectively. "I made the motion both to move the East Hampton Precinct to the Convocation Center and to initiate the different precinct lines and locations," Scott said, describing operational and safety benefits.
The board and city registrar provided a registration snapshot: the board reported 3,833 currently registered voters in the East Hampton precinct, and noted the site had several hundred same‑day registrants in the last presidential election. Wynne and Scott said the Convocation Center is available through a community partnership with Hampton University and would not add rental cost to the city.
Wynne framed the relocation as an equity issue, saying students, veterans and voters with mobility limits have been disadvantaged by the Phoebus High School location. "It is important to me that we bring that polling location back inside of the precinct, so that our East Hampton voters are being treated equally or reasonably equal," she said.
Council members asked detailed questions about turnout, student participation, traffic and walkability. Several members expressed concern that moving the polling place could confuse voters and create new access problems for residents who previously walked to Phoebus. Vice Mayor Brown and others asked staff to evaluate a separate precinct for Hampton University students as an alternative and asked the registrar and school IT staff to confirm whether school networks could support election needs.
Council did not vote at the work session. City Attorney and staff outlined the next steps if council wishes to proceed: prepare ordinance language, publish public hearing notices and potentially seek a certificate of no objection from the Virginia Attorney General; staff advised against mid‑year changes and suggested an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026, if council moves forward.
Council directed staff to study options, including a university precinct and measures to address Wi‑Fi or communications at school polling sites, and to return with details on timing, legal triggers and notification plans.
