Perry County consolidates polling places; adds new voting machines

Plans for the March 18 Primary Election are proceeding on schedule, County Clerk Josh Gross announced at the Jan. 16 Perry County Board meeting. Sample ballots should be ready next week.

Plans include consolidating polling places. Gross said the county saves money with fewer polling places, but there were also some problems with access to former polling places. More than 3,000 voters will receive new voter registration cards showing their new polling places.

Voters at some of the larger consolidated polling places will also get to use the five new touch-screen voting machines. Gross said he was able to purchase the new machines for $3,300. Help America Vote Act (HAVA) grant funds reimbursed Perry County for the entire cost.

Gross said he is working with local schools to allow some of their top students to spend election day working with the new machines at the polling places.

In other business, the board:

• heard from County Engineer Brian Otten that there were no objections raised at the meeting to discuss Whitetail and Moose Roads being closed. The closings will proceed as part of a 10-year agreement for the development of a local coal mine.

• heard from UIUC Extension Unit Leader Julie Mumbower that the Extension Board will meet in Perry County this month and an Agronomy Night is set for Feb. 18 at St. Paul UCC in Pinckneyville. Also, the Perry County Master Gardeners received the 2014 state team award for their work on the seed library project.

• passed a resolution re-appointing Ted Harsha to the Emergency Telephone System (911) Board for a four-year term expiring Jan. 31, 2018.