1 in 5 polling places have closed over last decade: Investigation

ByCheryl Mettendorf, Chad Pradelli, and Maia Rosenfeld

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

SALEM, N.J. (WPVI) -- Over the past decade, about one in five polling locations have closed nationwide.

It is a decrease that has left some vulnerable populations struggling to vote and has also led to confusion on Election Day.

A nationwide ABC News data investigation looked at the bigger issue as well as the impact on the Delaware Valley.

On a windy October afternoon, the Action News Investigative Team caught up with Janice Roots and other volunteers who were going door-to-door in Salem City, New Jersey.

Roots leads a get-out-the-vote effort that not only encourages unregistered voters to sign up, but also makes sure those who are already registered know their location to vote.

"We're a food desert. We're a media desert," said Roots. "So we have a lot of challenges in Salem."

Over the past decade, Salem City has lost half its polling locations, falling from four to two. Root said many voters were never notified.

"People don't know where their wards are," she said. "They have no idea. And for the people who live in the far corners of the city, how are they going to get there? We don't have buses."

Voter turnout in Salem City dropped from 61% in the 2012 Presidential Election to 51% in 2020. However, our nationwide investigation found the issue isn't confined to this historical and largely African American community.

In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia and the crucial collar counties of Delaware and Montgomery saw a roughly 25% decline in polling places per capita; Chester and Bucks counties saw declines of a little over 10%.

"When polling places decline and when you have fewer access points to cast a ballot, what it means is that it's less likely that people in an average election they're less likely to show up," said Dr. Kareem Crayton, a vice president at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Robert Rabinowitz lives in East Falls. Polling locations in his district have closed or moved several times over the past decade. He said he now votes by mail but kept abreast of polling location closures from his neighbors.

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In Pennsylvania, notice of polling place closures or changes must be mailed to voters. Rabinowitz said he canvassed in largely minority communities in years past and heard a common refrain from voters who choose not to vote by mail.

"They do it in person because it becomes a community activity," he said. "People get to visit with each other, socialize with each other, catch up on neighborhood news."

Current Salem County election officials weren't involved during the closure of polling locations, which happened roughly a decade ago. A spokesperson also couldn't provide Action News with an answer as to the reasons for the closures.

Meanwhile, Janice Roots said she'll keep plugging along doing her civic duty.

"I'm doing what I can, when I can," she said.