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During the July meeting of the Charlotte County Electoral Board, members were made aware of issues at one Bacon/Saxe District polling place.

According to Voter Registrar Nan Lambert, parking space is one issue that has been brought up about the community building in Saxe that is in question.

Electoral Board Chairman, Dean Foster addressed the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors during its Aug. 14 meeting to inform them that the electoral board is searching for a new polling place.

“We had found a place that would have been possible, but it was a school, and we have since then had some issues and conflicts come up with that,” Foster told members. “So, we have decided to go back and search for a more suitable place.”

According to Foster, the Electoral Board plans to address the board of supervisors in September with that recommended place.

Foster did point out that the new polling place would not take effect for this November election.

The Bacon/Saxe District has 1,086 voters with an average turnout between 300 and 400 voters.

According to Lambert, the community building in Saxe has been a precinct since 1991 when it replaced Priddy’s Store Precinct.

Until 2016 Bacon and Saxe were two separate precincts; voters in Bacon voted at Bacon District Elementary School.

Bacon District School was the possible location the Electoral Board had requested to use but according to Charlotte County Interim Superintendent Robbie Mason, that option was not feasible.

“I had a meeting with two members of the electoral board in which they inquired about using Bacon District Elementary as a polling place, and I explained to them that our current calendar has school in session on election day and that I did not see that being an option.”

Mason also noted school security and safety as a concern. Mason said that members of the school board also expressed their safety concerns and agreed that using Bacon District Elementary would create calendar issues as well.