Sarpy County voters received notice that their polling places will change ahead of the May 15th primary election. This will impact about 30,000 voters.
Sarpy County Election Commissioner Michelle Andahl says her office has been working with local businesses and faith based organizations over the past several months and determined they would relocate all polling locations out of K-12 grade schools.
“School districts in Sarpy County have always been accommodating and gracious about hosting polling sites inside of schools,” said Andahl. “However, it also posed challenges for schools and law enforcement as they worked to balance security protocols with providing public access without impediment on Election Day.”
Andahl said she started connecting with community members and voters soon after entering office, to identify ways in which the election office could better serve Sarpy County citizens. One common theme that arose in those discussions was that of moving polling sites out of schools.
Andahl added, “It is a huge challenge for county election officials to identify polling places that meet all requirements for accommodating voters on Election Day. Schools are often the only viable option. It will take ongoing community cooperation to keep polling sites out of Sarpy County schools going in the future.”
Yellow postcards have been mailed to affected voters letting them know of their new polling site. Andahl also thanks the voters saying change isn't always easy and may not be as convenient. However moving the locations out of schools was an important task and a positive step for the community.