City Council unanimously voted to move a polling location from the fire station on West Dayton Street for convenience reasons at its meeting Tuesday evening. It will be conveniently relocated for students, and the City Council hopes to make South Park Street more accessible to businesses, bikers and pedestrians.
The council chose the second floor of Madison Fresh Market on University Avenue to replace the previous polling station after a proposal by Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4.
“I’ve been frustrated for many years that the fire station on West Dayton Street is an inadequate polling place and does a disservice to election officials and voters that use that facility in each election,” Verveer said.
He said it is a “woefully inadequate” location for voting purposes because the room is used as a large utility closet and is an inconvenience to the fire department, especially in the winter.
According to Verveer, the location discouraged students from voting because it is located outside the normal traffic patterns for the average student voter. He added several student voters do not know where the fire station is and oftentimes do not bother to find it on Election Day.
“My biggest concern has been that we’re disenfranchising the majority of voters because the majority [in that voting ward] are clearly all University of Wisconsin students,” Verveer said. “I hope it will actually increase voter turnout, not only for presidential elections, but for many elections in years to come.”
Verveer said the relocation of the polling place will most likely encourage voting and improve voter turnout because it is in a more familiar location. He added he originally requested to move the polling place to the Fluno Center, but the location was denied because its conference facilities are so heavily used.
The owner of Madison Fresh Market is excited about hosting the polling place and has a history of community involvement in the city, Verveer said. Madison’s city clerk has performed an inspection of the facility and said it will work well as a voting area.
According to Verveer, election officials will greet voters at the front of the building, help them register to vote and direct them to the second floor to cast their ballots.
At the meeting, the City Council also unanimously voted to allow buildings on South Park Street to reach five stories as opposed to the previous restriction of four stories.
Some neighbors are opposed to the proposal, while others do not mind, Verveer said. Ald. Sue Ellingson, District 13, is in support of the redevelopment proposal taking place in her neighborhood.
“There was a group of neighbors who have been opposed to this project, and I want to honor their commitment to making the neighborhood a better place,” Ellingson said. “They thought five stories was too many, and I respectfully disagree with them.”
Ellingson said this redevelopment will bring new life to Park Street and make it possible for more businesses and retail shops to have a presence in the area.
In an email to the City Council, Ellingson said in order to achieve a “walkable, vibrant” neighborhood, Park Street’s density must increase. She added the redevelopment will attract more people to live in the area, which makes successful shops and restaurants possible.
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said City Council will get together with students for a student-oriented budget meeting sometime in October to discuss the city’s 2013 operating budget. He said it is the first time in at least a decade a budget discussion with students will take place.
