The boards of elections in Mahoning and Trumbull counties have no plans to move polling locations for the Nov. 3 general election because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials with both boards say they have locked in virtually every polling location that has been used in previous years and see no reason to move to bigger buildings such as the Covelli Centre in Youngstown or Packard Music Hall in Warren.

“We have enough space in each (polling) place,” Stephanie Penrose, Trumbull elections director, said. “We picked places that are larger than what we need. We have diagrams of every location so we’re aware of the layout and the best way to get people in and out with social distancing.”

Some other counties have moved polling locations to larger facilities. For example, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is having the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse serve as a polling location for voters in three Cleveland precincts.

Thomas McCabe, Mahoning deputy elections director, said he doesn’t see an advantage to that.

“The push to move to bigger facilities is something we don’t need to do,” he said. “I’m not sure about putting more people and larger lines into one facility. We’re planning to stay in the same locations we’ve used. We’re not looking to move anyone.”

PRIMARY CHANGES

During the aborted in-person primary, the boards of elections at the two counties moved polling locations from senior citizen living facilities at the Ohio secretary of state’s order because of the pandemic. The order remains in effect for the general election.

The Mahoning board found new locations for voters who cast ballots at the two senior living facilities it used.

Those in Beaver Precinct 5, who voted at Shepherd of the Valley, 911 Sharrott Road, are moved to the Holiday Inn Express and Suites conference room, 1011 Market St., about 1.5 miles apart.

Those in Sebring Precinct 2 who cast ballots at the Copeland Oaks Retirement Community Center, 800 S. 15th St., now will vote at the Heritage Oaks Banquet Center, 230 S. 12th St., where the rest of that village’s precincts are located. They’re about 1.1 miles apart.

In Trumbull County, only voters in Howland Precincts N and Y voted at a senior living facility — Shepherd of the Valley, 4100 North River Road NE. During the primary that ended up not having in-person voting, the board worked out an agreement with the township to have voters in those two precincts cast ballots at the Howland Township Administration Building’s trustees meeting room, 205 Niles Cortland Road NE, about 4.2 miles from Shepherd of the Valley.

A final decision on the location for the general election for those two precincts hasn’t been made.

While turnout is expected to be high as this is a presidential year, Penrose and McCabe said they expect many more people to use the mail to vote because of the pandemic. That will ease the burden on polling locations, they said.

But they say there hasn’t been a problem so far finding workers for the polling locations.

IN PERSON

Meanwhile, the Trumbull board is looking for a new place for early in-person voting.

Early in-person voting is done at the counter of the board’s office at 2947 Youngstown Road SE.

Besides being small, the board office uses the same doors to get people in and out — raising concerns about the lack of social distancing, Penrose said. It can handle only about three voters at any one time, she said.

“You ideally need a place with a separate entrance and exit,” Penrose said.

One possibility is a vacant former bank building located next to the board office, she said.

“We like it because of its proximity to the office,” Penrose said. “It’s right next door so (board employees) could have workers go back and forth. We’re going to look around and see if there’s a more suitable place in Warren.”

A lease for any early-voting location would need the approval of the county commissioners, she said.

The Mahoning County Board of Elections will continue to use dedicated space at Oakhill Renaissance Place, 345 Oak Hill Ave. in Youngstown, the same building where the board’s office is located, as its early voting site, McCabe said.

That space has a separate entrance and exit, he said.

About 30 people can be in that room at any one time — and that includes the eight pollworkers who run it, McCabe said. There are also plexiglass dividers between each voting booth, he said.

If you want to vote in-person, McCabe advises to do it early and not wait until the last weekend as that’s the busiest time for those votes.

Early voting in Ohio starts Oct. 6. The deadline to register for the election is Oct. 5.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com