Rockville Centre to vote on consolidating election districts

Rockville Centre residents could have a new polling station for the upcoming June election.

The Board of Trustees will vote to consolidate its 22 election districts and 10 polling stations down to one. Village Administrator Frank Quigley said the board will vote on the election districts at tonight's meeting and the polling stations by April. If approved, residents will vote for village officials at the village's recreation center.

Quigley said consolidating polling places will save the village on overhead costs per election.

He said the last election cost the village $21,000, which includes fees for using space at each polling place, renting voting machines, and hiring inspectors. Holding the vote at village hall eliminates the cost of renting space, and will reduce the number of machines and personnel needed, Quigley said.

The village has not yet calculated exactly what the savings would be, he said.

“The general theme is economy and increased efficiency,” he said, adding that residents might find it more convenient to have one central polling station, rather than having to figure out where to vote by district.

He said of the 25,000 village residents, 3,983 voted in the last election in 2009.

Quigley said the recreation center is centrally located within the 3.3-square-mile village. He said the center is big enough to accommodate the number of voting machines necessary and the number of voters that typically turn out. There is also adequate parking, he said.

The next village election will be held on June 21, Quigley said, and state law mandates that polling stations be approved by the village board at least 120 days before the election.

Quigley said a change to election districts or polling places does not require a public hearing by law, but residents are welcome to provide feedback during the public comment portion of the meeting.

The meeting is at 8:15 p.m. at Village Hall, 1 College Place in Rockville Centre.