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� Request for Council Action Date: June 14,2004 Item Number: 3.d Department Approval Manager Approval Agenda Section � � Item Description: Polling Location Change for Precincts 6 and 7 Back r� ound Precinct #6 National American Universitypolling location has been in existence since the redistricting in 2002. It was visited last year by a representative of the Secretary of State, �'h�' concluded that this polling location was not easily accessible for handicapped and elderly voters due to a long walk through the building to the polling site. This site is located in a classroom at the back of the building. Also, this site is not conducive to handle waiting lines, which would likely occur in large elections. A replacement site has been found, and that is RosePointe, 2555 N. Hamline Avenue. The management was very excited and willing to serve as a polling location into the future. This site will allow for the voting just inside the front entrance, which would be accessible to handicapped and elderly voters. Patty Hoag, the Head Judge for Precinct#6, and a long-time election judge, toured the RosePointe facility and determined that this site would well serve the needs of Precinct #6. Precinct #7 Grace Church Rosevillepolling location has been in existence for many years. Recently, the church has done some constructionto enlarge the church. Before the construction, voters had a rather short distance to walk to get to the polling site. Parking was on the same level as the polling site. Now, since construction, the polling site is much further away from the entrance of the building. Parking is also a concern because the RosevilleArea High School uses most of the parking around the handicapped entrance. This creates a problem because we have to have two separate entrances for the voters (the handicapped enter at one end, and other enter at the opposite end). Then once the handicapped or elderly voters get into the building and go down the elevator they have to travel down a long hallway to the polling site. Also, we have to have two judges dedicated to assisting voters to find the polling site, one at each entrance. We have had many complaints from the voters regarding this location since the construction. We have requested a guaranteed location on the main level, but the church was unable to guarantee such arrangement. They organize the groups using their facility as they see best A replacement site has been found, and that is across the Hamline/36West bound ramp at St. F �'hri�i�h�r'� Episcopal Church, 2300 N. Hamline Avenue. They also were very excited and willing to serve as a polling location into the future. This site offers everything that a polling location nceds: Handicapped parking, a short distance for the voter to travel once in the building, and a large room for the accommodation of lines. Patty Hoag and the Head Judge for Precinct #7 toured the St. Christopher's Episcopal Church and determined that this site would well serve the needs of Precinct #7. Communication The following public information efforts will be undertaken if the Council approves the change in location. . A notice will be put in the August Wrap. . The change will be broadcast with the News Fax. . We will put the information on the Channel 16 Bulletin Board.