Ohio County Considers Adding Early Voting Locations
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WHEELING -- Ohio County officials are considering a move to offer more early voting locations outside the City-County Building to county residents.
Plans are being discussed as a number of county residents have indicated they are not comfortable going through law enforcement security at the entrance to the City-County Building prior to voting on the first floor, explained County Administrator Randy Russell.
"There was some concern the security may have deterred some folks from voting, so we reached out to a couple of establishments to see if we could use space that maybe was not as fortress-like," Russell said.
Commissioner Zach Abraham said he also has heard from some residents reluctant to early vote because they didn't want to go through security.
"They thought that maybe was a potentially discriminatory issue, so I asked Mr. Russell to look into that," he said. "Not that it is, but because of the nature of the building it may deter people from coming to vote for whatever reason."
Commissioner Don Nickerson expressed skepticism.
"I'm not surprised that you got those requests, but I am surprised it would deter someone from voting," he said.
Solicitor Don Tennant said fellow attorney Tony Warner, a member of the Ohio County Public Library Board, told him library board members have offered use of the library for early voting "as an option rather than having it at the courthouse."
Russell said he has visited the library as a potential site for early voting, and is also looking at some other locations.
Commission President Randy Wharton asked if any early voting options would remain in the City-County Building, and Russell told him "they have to" under state election laws.
"I would think parking would be a bigger impediment than security," Wharton said.
In other matters, a public hearing to discuss a potential franchise agreement for Massillon Cable Television with Ohio County took place.
No one spoke out against MCTV coming to Ohio County.
Katherine Gessner, president of MCTV, told commissioners that while the need for cable television has been declining in recent years, there has been a huge increase for broadband internet products from customers.
MCTV, formerly Centre TV in Warwood, recently began a project to take its lines to about 125 additional customers on Stone Shannon Road on its own dime.
The last year highlighted a need to expand broadband in the county as many school children forced to work remotely could not access lessons from their home due to not having broadband access.
Russell said there were discussions with Comcast to expand their service area, and they have done so Breezy Hill, Union Hill and McCutcheon Road areas. The county provided funding for these projects through funds from the American Rescue Act COVID relief plan.
MCTV next stepped up to the plate and offered to move to the Stone Shannon area as they already had plans to expand in that direction, he said.
The commissioners are next set to meet at 6 p.m. on Aug. 17 at the City-County Building, 1500 Chapline St., Wheeling.