Polling Place

A POLLING PLACE is the building or facility where voters go to vote on Election Day. In the United States, one polling place is normally assigned for each voting precinct, and voters are directed to a specific polling place based on the location of their residence. In some states, polling places are printed with their street address on voter identification (ID) cards. In the states where only the voter's precinct is printed on the voter ID card, the polling location for each precinct is usually published in newspapers before the election. Voters may locate their precincts and polling locations by asking the local election officials in charge. Many states now provide polling location finder services on the internet, as well.

In most states, the local governing body, such as a county commission, or the local election authority, such as a county board of elections, is in charge of establishing election precinct boundaries within the local electoral unit. Normally, election codes designate that the precinct boundaries be drawn so that the precincts are compact, contiguous, and convenient for voters, with the boundaries not crossing state, county, township, or any electoral district boundaries. Some states define the minimum (typically 50 and up) and/or the maximum (for example, 1,000 in California, and 5,000 in Texas) number of voters to be served by a single polling place.

Typically, the local election authority is in charge of choosing a suitable polling site in each precinct. Preferred facilities are government-owned buildings, such as the city or township hall, but various other public locations are utilized in most states (for example, schools, post offices, banks, or churches). Some states allow the use of mobile homes in parking lots, while others allow the building of a new facility if none are available. Most states prohibit the use of establishments that sell alcoholic beverages.

Change of polling places is normally kept to a minimum in order to avoid Election Day confusion; however, polling places that could not meet the accessibility [Page 536]requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 may have had to be replaced.

On Election Day, polling places are staffed by election judges, and are kept open between specified hours designated in each state. Federal law requires the display of the national flag in or near every polling place on Election Day (36 U.S.C. 174). Other materials that may be required to be posted at the polling place include: the voter's bill of rights, voting instructions, and sample ballots. Only certain people are permitted at polls during elections. A typical list includes: voters for the purpose of voting, minor children accompanying voters, assistants for voters with disabilities, election officers, election sheriffs, poll watchers, and news media representatives. Some states allow teachers and students into the polls for educational purposes. In most states, observer qualification is limited to those selected by political parties, some even require them to be registered voters in the county, while California allows any interested citizen to observe elections.

In the 19th century, the area surrounding a voting place was a vulgar and chaotic space filled with mobs hired by political parties to physically intimidate supporters of the opposing parties. Only those men who had enough courage to make their way to the voting place could cast a ballot. Since then, restraint clauses have been adopted in most states to ensure order in and around the polls and to secure the secrecy of voting. In Minnesota, no one except an election official or an individual who is waiting to register or to vote is allowed to stand within 100 feet of the entrance to a polling place. New York bans electioneering within a 100-foot radius from the entrance, while Rhode Island prohibits individuals from conducting voter opinion polls (exit polls) within 50 feet of the entrance.

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