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10/12/2021 03:45 PMAn important change is coming for District 1 Madison voters for the upcoming election. The former voting site for District 1 has been permanently changed to the Polson Middle School, 302 Green Hill Road.
The change was needed, according to town officials, as the former District 1 polling site, the Senior Center, had inadequate parking. The added pressure of social distancing due to pandemic concerns made it simply impractical to continue there.
Democratic Registrar of Voters Jim Newton said the Polson School site will have several advantages. “We at the Registrar’s Office are very pleased with this change, as well as the cooperation it required from the Madison Board of Education that made it possible,” said Newton. “The reason it’s important is two-fold. First is space, Walter C Polson Middle School...has all of the parking and voting space needed to conduct a safe election both during COVID and in the future. Second is elimination of the need to move back to the prior space and risk confusing voters in the process.”
District 2 voters, will not be affected by this and will continue to vote at Dr. Robert H. Brown Intermediate School, 980 Durham Road.
District 1 voters are all registered voters who live at properties on the even numbered side of Green Hill Road and south. District 2 voters are all registered voters who live at properties on the odd numbered side of Green Hill Road and north. The next election is Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. All of Madison’s polling sites will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“We will continue to place a sign in front of the Senior Center, the most recent home of District 1, advising voters of the now permanent relocation. That sign, along with one in front of Polson (and others around town), will be posted one week prior to the election,” according to the registrars.
Republican Registrar of Voters Peter Thomas said the move was vital to a smooth election process for all voters. “In comparison to the Senior Center, Polson’s parking lot allows us to keep voters safe from the risks associated with parking and walking from multiple locations on and off of Bradley Road to the poll,” said Thomas. “It is also expected to significantly improve the flow of vehicular, pedestrian, and handicapped access to the District 1 polling place. In addition, the floor space available in the Polson Gymnasium allows the voters and poll workers to have greater space for safer social distancing while voting is being conducted.”