New polling sites and precinct boundaries have caused a stir in Pulaski County.
Elected officials and voters spoke out against changes to polling sites in the county during the Pulaski County Election Commission's meeting Wednesday night, with some accusing the commission of voter suppression.
The election commission eliminated a polling location at Glenview Community Center in North Little Rock and in Harris Elementary School in McAlmont.
The move prompted petitions and pushback from some voters angry that the Election Commission has taken away -- to them --convenient places to vote.
Many North Little Rock voters who voted at the Glenview Community Center will now have to vote at the Sherman Park Community Center, about four miles away.
The Glenview polling site served a convenient location for many North Little Rock residents in the east side of the city, some voters said. Glenview's location was not just ideal for many residents, it had ample onsite parking and a bus stop -- a major plus for a part of the city where many rely on public transportation.
"Now, all these changes are going to cause some chaos," said North Little Rock Council member Linda Robinson, who represents Ward 2.
Robinson said the Sherman Park Community Center had few onsite parking spots which means voters would have to park at nearby 7th Street Elementary in spaces where school staff park.
"Voters have got to compete with staff for a parking place," Robinson said.
Pat Brewer, a resident of North Little Rock's Glenview neighborhood, likened the elimination of the neighborhood's polling site to "voter suppression." Some residents worried that with more voters voting at Sherman Park, there will be long lines and few open spaces to park.
Director of Elections Melinda Lemons said the move was done to align the poll sites with the new county precinct map approved after the census.
"We basically made a recommendation to the board on just deciding between, OK, we have two polling locations in the same precinct, now we have to select one of them," Lemons said. "Or we had a polling location that sat in the wrong precinct."
The Board of Election Commissioners unanimously approved the move during a Feb. 25 meeting. The order also reduced the number of polling sites from 104 to 89 in the county, Lemons said.
In the case of North Little Rock, the Glenview and Sherman Park polling sites fell into the same precinct, meaning one had to go, Lemons said.
In McAlmont, some residents are angry the polling location that was at Harris Elementary School has been moved to McAlmont Church of Christ. While the polling site at McAlmont Church of Christ is about a mile away, voters -- many of whom are elderly -- will have to walk down East 46th St. where there isn't a sidewalk.
"Between Bertha Avenue and Eureka Garden Road is probably the most dangerous site in the county for the person to walk while the sun shines," McAlmont resident Mabel Bynum said.
Commission Chairman David Scott said of the polling site at Harris Elementary, "we could not get a commitment from them for at least the primary election cycle."
The polling sites can't be changed before the upcoming May 24 primary election, Scott said. Lemons said the commission could change the polling sites for the general election in November.
"Number one, this is voter suppression, OK?" said Kristina "KG" Gulley, who represents District 10 on the Pulaski County Quorum Court. "Number two, I believe it is political. There is no doubt in my mind that it is political."
Scott responded by saying the Election Board's intent has been "to promote the free and fair elections here in the county."
"The staff works really hard to try to find the places to have these polls," he said. "And certainly, when the districts are changed and the precinct lines have to be moved, there will be some adjustments to polling sites."