FAYETTEVILLE -- Voters will be able to cast their ballots at six vote centers in the city's April 9 special election.
The Washington County Election Commission agreed Tuesday six will be sufficient for the election. The commission has used 13 vote centers in larger elections.
Vote centers
These six polling places will be available on April 9 for the special election.
• Central United Methodist Church, 6 W. Dickson St.
• Covenant Church, 4511 W. Wedington Drive
• Sang Avenue Baptist Church, 1425 N. Sang Ave.
• Sequoyah Methodist Church, 1910 Old Wire Road
• Shiloh Community Church, 4262 W. Mount Comfort Road
• Trinity Fellowship, 1100 Rolling Hills Drive
Source: Washington County Election Commission
The City Council voted in December to hold a bond election for voters to decide on a package of proposals that could cost up to $226 million.
An extension of the city's 1 percent sales tax would go toward paying off the new bonds, which city officials say could take 10 to 12 years.
The 10 separate proposals would overhaul intersections, build miles of trails, give police a new headquarters, build three fire stations, improve parks, fix some drainage issues and go to a downtown arts corridor.
Jennifer Price, executive director of the Election Commission, said the most recent comparable election was an Aug. 9, 2016, vote on a tax for the Fayetteville library. According to Price, 6,167 people voted in that election, with 1,904 of those ballots cast during early voting.
"When you look at past voter turnout, it's hard to justify [opening all 13 vote centers] because of the lack of turnout," Bill Ackerman, commission member, said during the discussion on how many vote centers were needed.
Price said the six vote centers will be used only on election day. Early voting, which begins April 2 and ends April 8, will be held during regular hours at the County Clerk's Office in the County Courthouse, 280 N. College Ave.
Paper ballots will be used only for absentee voting, Price said. All other voting will be done on the electronic voting machines.
NW News on 01/30/2019