Stark County Board of Elections approves polling location changes for Canton Wards 2, 4

CANTON – The Stark County Board of Elections on Monday approved changing the polling location for three Ward 4 precincts and one Ward 2 precinct.

The action came after dozens of residents in Ward 4 last month lambasted the elections board for earlier moving the voting site for those precincts to a charter school in Ward 6. Residents complained that it appeared to suppress Black votes.

Board staff said they had no intention of suppressing the votes of any group.

More: 'Come on! Talk to me!' Residents demand Stark Board of Elections change polling location

The board Monday approved a motion to switch voters in Canton voting precincts 4A, 4C and 4D from Canton Harbor High School in Ward 6 to the Union Baptist Church at 413 Cornelia Ave. NE in Ward 4.

Councilwoman Chris Smith, D-4, who attended the meeting, recommended Union Baptist Church. At the request of Councilwoman Brenda Kimbrough, D-2, the board approved moving Canton voting precinct 2-D to Gibbs Elementary School in Ward 2.

With the changes, all Canton Ward 2 voters would vote at Gibbs Elementary or Cherrie Turner Towers, which are in Ward 2. Gibbs already hosts voters in Canton 2C, 2E and 9E. All Ward 4 voters would vote at Union Baptist Church or the Edward Coleman Community Center, which are in Ward 4.

The changes take effect with the special state legislative primary on Aug. 2 and all elections after that.

The 3,474 registered voters in all four precincts will receive notification of the polling location change in the mail.

"I really liked the fact they considered it (the change) and that I think the residents will be pleased with the new location of Union Baptist Church," Smith said.

Kimbrough said having all of her constituents in Ward 2 vote at polling locations in Ward 2 was ideal.

"It'll be easier for the constituents and I'll be glad and I accept that idea. And I'm very glad they were listening to our concerns," she said.

In January, Antioch Baptist Church moved from its longtime location at 1844 Ira Turpin Way NE at the northern end of Ward 4. It had been a polling location for much of Ward 4 since at least 2012.

With the primary coming up, board staff scrambled to find a new location. They initially rejected Union Baptist Church because a Google Street Image view indicated the church building was too small to host 20 voting machines. But the Google Street Image dated back to 2011. The church had doubled its size as part of a remodeling.

The Ward 4-based neighborhood association Affairs of the Community and Smith objected to the change to Canton Harbor High School more than a mile from Ira Turpin Way NE in Ward 6. The new location for the May 3 primary was at 1731 Grace Ave. NE, which the association members said was too far away, especially for those who lacked transportation.

Travis Secrest, an administrative assistant for the Stark County Board of Elections, said the staff made a recent site visit to Union Baptist Church, which is near Tuscarawas Street E, and found the remodeled church had sufficient space with sufficient electrical power for the voting machines, enough restrooms for the public and 54 parking spots that were accessible to people with disabilities.

The board staff also looked at three other churches — one not in Wards 2 or 4, one in Ward 2 that could accommodate only one precinct, and one in Ward 4 in a building that might be sold that lacks heat.

The Board of Elections also approved switching 3,540 voters in Plain Township precincts 3, 8, 10 and 27 from First Christian Church at 6900 Market Ave. N to Congregational United Church at 1530 East St. NE.

Secrest said First Christian Church sent a letter to the board saying it didn't want to be a polling location anymore. The church did not give a specific reason.

"Not much more we can do if they don't want us there," elections board Chairman Samuel Ferruccio said.

Reach Robert at (330) 580-8327 or robert.wang@cantonrep.com. Twitter: @rwangREP.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton Ward 2, Ward 4 voters won't have to leave ward to vote