Coventry registrar eyes single polling place for November

May 22—COVENTRY — Citing parking and safety concerns, the Democratic registrar of voters has suggested using only one polling place for the November municipal elections instead of two.

Voters have been using George Hersey Robertson Intermediate School at 227 Cross St., and Coventry High School, 78 Ripley Hill Road.

Democratic Registrar Dorothy Grady, who spoke during the Town Council meeting May 15, said she would like both districts to vote at the high school because parking at Robertson can be tricky and the lighting is not good in the parking lot, which has led to minor accidents.

She said she does not want to get rid of the town’s two voting districts, but would like both districts to vote at one location.

The two districts could be split between gyms, the voters would remain in the corridor, and the rest of the school would be blocked off, Grady said, adding that having the police department across the street increases voter safety.

Students do not attend school on Election Day and the day is used for staff development.

Grady said she has spoken to School Superintendent David Petrone about the change and he is on board with it.

Republican Registrar Marilyn Powers said she agrees with Grady, based on the conditions at Robertson, adding that it would be beneficial to have just one polling location since some voters have been confused about which polling place to go to.

Town Council Chairwoman Lisa Thomas said she supports the consolidation of polling locations.

“First and foremost is safety — better traffic flow, more parking, better security in the building,” she said. “Second, this avoids the confusion voters often have over where they should go to vote. All we need to do is remember to go to the high school. Third, this allows for efficient use of our poll worker pool.”

Thomas said there has been a steady decline in the number of people available to work the polls, and that given the importance of voting, it is critical that an election runs smoothly and is well staffed.

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Grady said her presentation to the council was informational and she plans to talk to the Republican and Democratic town committees about the proposed change. She also will let the town clerk know about it in writing.

During the same meeting, the Town Council approved a change of hours for polling officials on Election Day.

Instead of working from 5:15 a.m. to noon and noon to 8 p.m., Grady asked that their hours be changed to 5:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 to 8:30 p.m. to give them more time to clean up after elections.

Jamila covers Coventry and Tolland for the Journal Inquirer.