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Partly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..

Partly cloudy. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.

The Saline County Election Commission met Thursday to set polling sites for the Nov. 8 General Election.

County Clerk Doug Curtis told the commissioners he had concerned about connectivity issues at two of the polling sites used in the most recent elections — New Friendship Baptist Church and Old Union Baptist Church.

He said they are unable to get the updates throughout the day to keep track of voting at New Friendship. They also have a hard time getting enough poll workers for the location.

Election Coordinator Allison Cain said the updates help keep an accurate list of who has voted.

Regarding Old Union, which also does not have adequate internet access to updates, Commissioner Clint Lancaster has spoken to people who vote their and the normal poll workers. He has been told it will not cause a hardship to either group. Cain said if those poll workers want to continue to work, she will find them a space. Lancaster did not believe they would.

The commission voted to close both sites.

This leaves 22 other polling locations in the county, including four early voting locations — Owensville Baptist Church, Benton Vote Center, The Well at East End and New Life Church.

The remaining sites were approved.

The commissioners discussed moving East End's voting location back to East Union Church for future elections once the road construction is no longer an obstacle. Currently, for list updates, they have to use the Well's wifi because their own internet was not working. They discussed security concerns, but Cain said the wifi was password protected. It was only used for the smart updates. During previous meetings, the commission have discussed that the voting machines are never connected to the internet and do not have any capability to connect to the internet.

One of the reasons for the updates, Curtis said, is to ensure people do not vote at multiple locations in the same election.

They discussed concerns about Turtle Creek Fire Department as a location because of lighting and it being where fire engines are stored. Curtis suggested in the future they could look at the Saline County Career and Technical Campus as a possible voting spot.

Commissioner Judy Pridgen said she likes Owensville Baptist Church in Hot Springs Village. Curtis agreed it is a good spot going forward.

Cain said she expects turnover of poll workers after this election because several have said they do not want to work another presidential election in 2024.

The commission talked about consolidating poll centers in the future.

The second item on the agenda was to combine ballot boxes from 2022 for storage. Lancaster pulled up a law saying those cannot be opened without the approval of the State Board of Elections. The commissioners approved combining the boxes if Curtis can get the board of elections approval.

The commission also approved mileage from the last election for Curtis, who said normally he does not ask to be reimbursed but the cost of fuel was high and he drove around 1,800 miles over the course of the election between the vote centers.

Curtis gave an update on the new digital billboard. He is still working on connectivity. He wants it to be wired. It will be for voting information, weather warnings and county announcements. It is on the side of the Benton Vote Center.

The commission discussed security at the vote center. It does have cameras but they are pointed at doors, not at where people actually vote. They are monitored by outside security.

They plan to have absentee ballots available by Sept. 22.

The next meeting will be 8:30 a.m. Oct. 4 at the Benton Vote Center.

Meetings are open to the public.

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