Beloit City Council votes to consolidate polling place despite public concern

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The Beloit City Council votes 4-3 to consolidate the polling place for voting Ward 16 with Wards 17-18 at Todd Elementary School.

Multiple Beloit College professors and community members submitted public comments opposing the change, in advance of the meeting.

Ward 16, which includes the entire Beloit College campus, normally would vote at First Congressional Church, but City Manager Lori Curtis-Luther said they do not have enough voting tabulators and paper books to serve nine polling locations with the anticipated influx of absentee ballots.

The public comments emphasized that most students do not have a vehicle and would have difficulty finding the time and means to walk the extra distance to their new voting place on November 3.

City Clerk Lori Stottler said in the past four federal elections, Ward 16 had the lowest turnout percentage of eligible voters in the city, and that ward’s voting population tends to fluctuate with the college’s enrollment.