Augusta officials are considering a proposal to move all city voting to the Augusta Civic Center from four ward polling places. Proponents say offering a single voting site is cost-effective and requires fewer voting clerks at a time when finding them is difficult. Opponents say the Civic Center’s location — 76 Community Drive — could present difficulties for those who do not have a vehicle and cannot walk to the facility. Kennebec Journal file

AUGUSTA — City councilors are again considering permanently consolidating all voting at the Augusta Civic Center and no longer running four in-ward polling places, a move some that residents fear could make it harder for people without transportation to vote.

In a memorandum to councilors, City Clerk Kelly Gooldrup has recommended city officials consolidate all future voting at the city-owned Civic Center.

She said some of the city’s four ward polling places lack adequate accessibility to people with disabilities or mobility problems, have inadequate parking forcing some voters to circle the block looking for parking, allow adults coming into Cony High School and Buker Community Center to vote to be in contact with children and require having four sets of voting equipment.

The city is having difficulty finding enough qualified poll workers from the major political parties to staff four polling places, Gooldrup said. Setting up and monitoring polls in one location would be easier, more efficient and cost-effective.

The city’s four voting locations: Ward 1 — Buker Community Center, 22 Armory St.; Ward 2 — Augusta City Center, 16 Cony St.; Ward 3 — Augusta Civic Center, 76 Community Drive; and Ward 4 — Cony High School, 40 Pierce Drive.

The Civic Center has plenty of space to host all voting and voter registration, she said, and having one location for voting would eliminate confusion caused when the city switches between one consolidated site for lower-turnout elections and individual ward polling places for major elections.

Some councilors agree. They said change is hard, but the increased availability and ease of absentee voting make it easier for anyone to vote, even if he or she cannot get to the polls. Councilors also said few voters walk to the ward polling places, and the Civic Center is more convenient, easier to secure and has space for lines indoors.

“I think there are a lot of reasons that argue for consolidation,” Mayor Mark O’Brien said last Thursday when elected officials discussed the proposal sponsored by Councilors Eric Lind, Ward 4, and Kevin Judkins, Ward 2, at the City Council informational meeting.

“The convenience I’ve heard people talking about is people being able to walk to the polls,” O’Brien said. “As Councilor Judkins just pointed out, there’s probably at least two polling places where you have very few, if any, walkers. And I suspect at any of the polling places, you have very few walkers.”

He said for every person who might be inconvenienced by not being able to walk to a polling place, many more could find the Civic Center more convenient because of accessibility and parking. And with the increase in absentee voting, there is no reason someone cannot vote.

Several residents, however, said consolidating all voting at the Civic Center would make getting to the polls harder for people, especially those without transportation, some of whom are now able to walk to a neighborhood polling place.

“The Civic Center is out in the middle of nowhere. It’s within walking distance of just about nothing,” Mary Saunders said. “You will discourage people from voting if you move it out to the Civic Center. Oh sure, they can take a cab that amounts to a poll tax.

“We’ve been here (before), and I’m really appalled to see this being brought up again. It may be easier for the workers in the city clerk’s office if they only have one location to deal with, but this is about making it easy for the people of Augusta to vote.”

Megan Bastey, who has also spoken out on previous proposals to consolidate voting, offered her research. In the last election in Waterville, where voting in the city’s seven wards had been consolidated at one location, she said voter turnout was 48%, while in the same election in Augusta, with individual ward polling places, it was 58%. Bastey said Bangor, where voting is also consolidated, reported a voter turnout of about 50%.

“No data suggests closing voting locations will encourage voter participation,” Bastey said. “There is data that suggests closing voting locations will discourage voter participation. It’s also good for the community to vote in their neighborhood, where they see people they know, and it discourages divisiveness when you observe your neighbors participating together.”

Lind and Ward 3 Councilor Mike Michaud said having adult voters commingling with students at Cony High School and Buker Community Center, home to the city’s child care programs, is unsafe. Michaud said with politics being as contentious as ever, safety is a priority, and securing one site at the Civic Center would be easier.

At-Large Councilor Stephanie Sienkiewicz, who said she is still undecided on the issue, countered that putting everyone at one location could come with its own safety concerns.

Courtney Gary-Allen, also an at-large councilor, said if the polls are consolidated, the city should consider providing buses to help voters get from their ward polling places to the Civic Center to vote.

City Manager Jared Mills said the city previously consolidated voting for a major election at the Civic Center during the COVID-19 pandemic, which could provide a blueprint for how consolidated voting there would work.

Stephanie Chase said she worked as a poll worker in a previous election at the Civic Center, and “it was chaos” having so many voters at one location. She said the consolidation proposal might not be meant to suppress voting, but that could be its effect. She also urged the city to provide transportation to and from the Civic Center, if the change is made.

Gooldrup’s memorandum indicated that consolidated voting would be cheaper. The average estimated cost of holding a medium- to large-turnout election at one site is $5,051. At the city’s four wards, it is $10,339.

O’Brien said councilors are awaiting more information from city staff members, and could discuss the proposal further at their next informational meeting, planned for next Thursday.