2009.09.16
Moving a Montgomery County election site
We're writing our NRV Current editorial today about the polling place for Montgomery County's E1 Precinct. That's the precinct that stretches from the New River to the Virginia Tech campus and includes many dorms. Last November, voters in the precinct headed to St. Michael's Lutheran Church on Merrimac Road only to find parking problems and long lines. In hopes of alleviating such problems, voting this November will take place at Kipps Elementary School.
We'll applaud this move, especially because it will bring voting almost a mile closer to Tech students. If it works, we urge the county to continue requesting to use the new site until a permanent change can be made after the redistricting following the 2010 U.S. Census. And in the meantime, officials should look even closer to campus for a site, where the thousands of new voters reside, many with no easy access to a vehicle.
We'll also remind students who have moved out the dorms that if they are registered to vote here and want to vote in November, they need to update their addresses with the registrar's office.
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While I like the move to Kipps, I don't see why the site should move into Blacksburg. St. Michael's, and now Kipps, serves the area you mention: from the New River to VT campus. Those who live near campus don't have that far to drive to reach Kipps but moving it into Blacksburg would cause those who live by the river to drive farther. Why cater to the students more? They have BT, which has a stop at the Food Lion -- within walking distance of Kipps. Folks who live past Food Lion have no such public transit.
Comment by Liz — September 16, 2009 @ 12:31 pm