By Charlotte Caldwell
SIDNEY — The Shelby County Board of Elections discussed the new polling location for precinct 35 (Washington Township) at a meeting on Feb. 21.
The township’s polling location has been changed to the Fair Haven garage at 2901 Fair Road. The board discussed using New Beginnings church as the new polling location at previous meetings, but at a board meeting on Jan. 16, Board of Elections Director Pam Kerrigan said she had not heard anything from the church’s owner since December of 2023.
The board’s Deputy Director Drew Higgins mentioned they are having trouble finding someone willing to be a voting location manager (VLM) at the location. The VLM there has to be a Republican.
The board approved the allocation of voting equipment for the upcoming primary election for the second time. At the Jan. 16 meeting, the board approved sticking with the same allocation as they had in the previous general election with an additional voting machine at St. Michael’s Hall in Fort Loramie. The 3% pay increase for county employees from the county commissioners was also approved as well as bills filed for audit totaling $8,316.33.
Higgins told the board about the status of chargebacks — which is how the Board of Elections gets reimbursed for election costs — and how they are using B Fink Consulting now when they used to handle chargebacks in-house. Higgins also discussed ordering ballots for the primary election and proposed ordering 21,125 ballots for $10,562.50. He predicted a 55% voter turnout for the election. The board approved of him adjusting the number of ballots to order as needed.
The next board meeting will be held on the day of the primary election, March 19, at 6:30 a.m.
