The fate of three Greene County polling locations is uncertain, but consolidation is expected next week.
The Greene County Board of Elections and Registration (BOER) will take a vote during its Feb. 11 meeting to decide whether to close the Old Salem (Lakeside Church), Union Point, and Siloam polls.
The BOER voted to move forward with the consolidation process at its Jan. 14 meeting and has run the legal notice required to close any polling locations.
Elections Director Rebecca Anglin said the board will vote on each location one at a time during next week's meeting and could decide to close one, two, or all three polls.
If the consolidation passes, voters of any closed location will vote at the Greensboro poll at the Greene County Elections Office instead. The timeline for the consolidation has yet to be determined, but the board could decide to close affected locations as early as June or wait until November.
Anglin said many factors are considered when deciding consolidation, including turnout, security, chain of custody of ballots, and state legislation.
Residents from both political parties have expressed concerns about the consolidation’s impact on voter turnout, noting the Old Salem location in particular. While only nine percent of Old Salem’s electorate chose to vote on Election Day, the area still reported the biggest poll turnout with 785 voters.
Greene County Republican Party Chairman Mark Schulz said the party’s executive committee opposes the closing of Old Salem in the interest of voters.
Michael Celentano, leader of the Del Webb Democrats and member of the Lake Country Democrats, urged the BOER to consider voter feedback and disenfranchisement when making decisions.
“There’s different groups of voters, different classifications of voters, that go to each of the precincts, and [board members] have to take that into consideration when they think about closing,” he explained. “I understand the logistics they’re working through and the cost involved with all the different locations, but to me, the primary directive should be the impact on the individual voters and how many will be disenfranchised by closing one or more of the precincts. This is just my opinion, but I think that’s what they’re looking at as far as what the potential impacts are going to be and which direction they should cast their vote.”
“I’m sure many people will be affected personally,” continued Celentano. “To me, closing all of them and making everybody go to the elections office doesn’t make much sense. Closing the [Lakeside Church] precinct doesn’t make a lot of sense. But they’ve got a decision to make, and they’ve got to take everybody into account and make sure that they’re not disenfranchising the greatest number of voters. To me, that’s the most important thing. Everybody has to have a right to vote, regardless of which way [the board goes].
“I think the Board of Elections has the right makeup of people, and I think they’re having the right kind of discussions, especially with allowing for voter input. As long as there’s significant voter input, they’ll make the right decision that they think is best for the county.”
While there may be challenges with moving polls to the elections office, Anglin doesn’t think disenfranchisement will happen.
“I think if voters want to vote, that is [their] right, and I think voters will show up regardless,” she said. “It’s my belief that if people want to vote, they will make the effort to vote.”
Anglin reminded residents of other ways to vote, including absentee ballots for remote voting and early voting days at the elections office. Voters can apply for an absentee application 78 days before an election or vote early during a 17-day period before Election Day.
Anglin acknowledged an increase in Greene County’s early voting numbers during the 2024 presidential election as proof that turnout remained high. Over 76 percent of voters cast their votes early rather than at the polls on Election Day, and another six percent voted remotely via absentee ballot.
The Feb. 11 meeting will be held at 4 p.m. at the elections office, 1180 C. Weldon Smith Dr., Ste. 109, Greensboro. It is open to the public, and comments are welcome.