CANTON — St. Lawrence County has a new reason to move its Board of Elections office.
The building at Court and Judson streets is not accessible to the handicapped and has for years been the subject of office restructuring plans that got quashed. The subject has resurfaced because the county must find room to store 70 electronic voting machines that will be in place for September's primary.
"It's certainly something I think people need to consider," said Robin M. St. Andrews, Democratic elections commissioner.
The county expects seven voting machines later this month, which will be locked in the County Courthouse. The remainder will be delivered in July, and the county needs to find at least 2,500 square feet to store them in secure, temperature-controlled space. The county will soon seek offers.
"If we move the Board of Elections office there as well, and there might be reasons to do that, then we're limited to the village of Canton unless we have a referendum," County Administrator Karen M. St. Hilaire told lawmakers Monday.
The county has six elections workers, but commissioners said they may need more to deal with the sweeping federal elections overhaul the state is finally adopting.
The public defender's office also is in the Surrogate's Building at the county complex. Legislators have long debated whether to bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act or to move offices.
The Legislature recently reactivated its Space Committee, and the building is on the agenda. The elections office will be a high priority because the county will have to train inspectors and poll watchers on how to use the machines.
"I think we've got to find a temporary place to put the machines. If it's a good place, maybe it'll be permanent and then we'll address the office space later on," said Legislator Donald A. Peck, R-Gouverneur, of the space committee.
One electronic handicapped-accessible voting machine is required for each polling place during this year's election. Most voters will use lever-style machines this year, then switch to paper ballots that are machine-scanned in 2009.
