Brunswick officials are awaiting a decision from the secretary of state’s office on the planned voting location move from the junior high school to the recreation center ahead of the next election in June.
The Town Council in September voted 6-3 to move the town’s only polling location to the recreation center on Neptune Drive in Brunswick Landing. Supporters said the site would be an improvement because it has more parking, is on the Brunswick Line bus line and won’t disrupt the school day at the junior high, among other reasons.
The move still needs approval from the secretary of state’s office. Town Clerk Fran Smith told the council Monday night she hopes to have a decision or an anticipated date of a decision from the office by the council’s next meeting April 3.
“We need at least a decision so we can inform our voters,” Smith said. “There is a point where we have to call it. We have to … do (the election) at the junior high if we don’t have an answer.”
The secretary of state’s office has a list of questions about the move for the town to answer, and officials from the office may want to visit the proposed polling site, according to Smith.
The council approved the move Sept. 6 and the town sent its application to the secretary of state’s office Sept. 12, according to Smith. The office hasn’t issued a decision yet because of its workload, according to Brunswick Town Manager John Eldridge.
If the move is approved, Smith said her office will get the word out through social media, letters to residents and notices on the TV3 public access channel.
“I’m going to get very familiar with every social media outlet there is here in Brunswick so we can reach everyone,” she said. “We want everyone to know.”
The sole item on the June 13 ballot is the school budget validation vote. In addition to voting in person, residents can vote at Town Hall 30 days prior to the election or through absentee ballots.
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