Board votes to shift polling places

Polling sites may be merging.

Jay County Election Board this week voted unanimously to shift the Wabash and Madison precinct polling sites.

The board, made up of Jay County clerk Jon Eads, Republican Carmen Craig and Democrat Dane Mumbower, also voted to move the Penn precinct polling site to a different location.

Those changes will now head to Jay County Commissioners for approval.

If OK’d by commissioners, Wabash precinct voters would go to the polls at Bryant Community Center, joining Bearcreek precinct voters there. Voters in the Madison precinct would go to Jay Community Center along with those from the Wayne 1, Wayne 3, Wayne 4 and Noble precincts.

Wabash and Madison polling places were previously located at Holy Trinity Catholic Church and Salamonia Fire Station, respectively.

Lack of an available Wi-Fi signal to allow electronic poll pads to communicate with the election office was cited as an issue for both the Wabash and Madison locations. Also, the Trinity site was not locked to secure voting machines, and those machines can no longer be transported to the site on the day of the election. New regulations require that voting machines be delivered a day in advance.

Penn precinct voters would cast ballots at Pennville Lion’s Club. The previous site, Pennville Community Center, is not available because of mold issues.

Early voting for all of Jay County still be at Jay County Courthouse. It will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on beginning April 7.

Other election day polling sites in Jay County are as follows:

Jay County Courthouse — Wayne 2

Jay County Scout Complex — Greene, Jefferson and Pike

First Church of the Nazarene — Wayne 7

Redkey Faith Ministries — Redkey

Union Chapel Church — Jackson

West Jay Community Center — Dunkirk 1, Dunkirk 3, Knox