Election Commission Votes To Restore Polling Places

KEVIN HALPERN, Courier Co-Editor


The Cannon County Election Commission voted Monday night to restore three polling places.

The polling places are Short Mountain No. 2, Short Mountain No. 4 and Pleasant Ridge.

During its November meeting, the Election Commission unanimously voted to move the Short Mountain polling places from Short Mountain School to two different locations. Short Mountain No. 2 was moved to Gassaway and Short Mountain No. 4 to East Side School.

They also voted to move Pleasant Ridge from Woodbury Grammar School to Auburntown.

The vote to restore all three polling places was 3-2, with commissioners Jackie Gannon, Louise Mayo and Sue Patrick voting in favor of the motion made by Patrick and commissioners Matt Studd and Lindburg Dennis voting against.

The decision to rescind November's action was met with cheers of approval from a packed room of residents from the Short Mountain and Pleasant Ridge communities in attendance in the courtroom of the Cannon County Courthouse. The meeting had to be moved there from the Election Office due to the large crowd.

The decision effects 1,141 of Cannon County's 8,216 registered voters. Of those 1,141, less than half, 423, voted in the last election.

The Election Commission had hoped to save over $6,500 this election cycle (the three elections this calendar year) by closing the three polling places. In addition to those lost savings, it is estimated the Election Office will now need an additional $4,000 this calendar year to inform voters by mail of the decision to reinstate those locations as voting locations and to hire poll workers.

The Commission's action to keep the three polling places open must be approved by Tenneseee Coordinator of Elections Mark Goins before it becomes official.

(Check back to CannonCourier.com and see next week's addition of the Cannon Courier for additional information from Monday's meeting)