There will be 16 voting centers where any registered voter can cast their ballot when the polls open for the general election on November 8.
There were already 13 locations decided upon—the Christian County Courthouse, the Senior Center Center, Bruce Convention Center, Boys and Girls Club, Indian Hills Elementary School, Crofton City Hall, Sinking Fork Baptist Church, Pembroke Baptist Church, South Christian Elementary, Oak Grove Community Center, Concord Baptist Church, New Barren Springs Baptist Church and New Palestine Baptist Church.
On Thursday the Christian County Board of Elections heard from several community members wanting additional locations to vote, including League of Voters President Nikki Chambers, who wanted additional options on the east side of Hopkinsville.
Retired Christian County Attorney Mike Foster told the board that Friendship House is eager to host a voting center.
The board unanimously voted to add Hopkinsville Middle School, Friendship House and Cedar Grove Baptist Church as voting centers, with the old Booker T Washington school building to serve as a back-up location if the church doesn’t pass inspection for handicapped accessibility. There was discussion of adding Hillcrest Baptist Church as a center, but it was ultimately left out.
Christian County Sheriff’s Major Jason Newby initially wanted the board to move a machine from locations that had three or five to those new voting centers to avoid the county spending $29,000 to buy five new machines. He changed his mind after hearing from veteran poll worker Barbra Morris, who said there would have been long lines at the Senior Center in May had they not had all of their machines.
She also urged the board to be sure there are experienced poll workers to help any new personnel at each voting center.
In other action, the board increased the pay for elections officers who work for absentee and early voting to $200 per day.