Voters waited in line for about 45 minutes as the result of a high voter turnout in Sherburne during the 2020 election. While turnout for each election is different, the Chenango County Board of Elections is facing the likelihood of consolidating poll sites in sparsely populated townships (those less than 2,000 registered voters), should that directive come from the state. Above, voters in Sherburne wait to vote in last year’s presidential election. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

NORWICH - Faced with changing elections laws, escalating costs, and inconsistent voter turnout locally, the Chenango County Board of Elections is examining the likelihood of consolidating polling sites in thinly populated townships should the directive come from the state.

According to department administrators, the move may make logistics easier on election night and save some money by eliminating the need for a few poll inspectors. Recruiting poll inspectors has been a particular challenge for the board in recent years.

The Board of Elections doled out nearly $18,000 to pay poll inspectors for a county-wide Republican primary earlier this year. Despite the cost, voter turnout was low with less than 5 percent of eligible voters casting a ballot.

“You always have the expense whether voters show up or not, and unfortunately they didn’t,” said Democratic Party Commissioner Carol Franklin. “We still have to conduct it.”

Before combining polling sites, the Board of Elections has to wait for the end of once-in-a-decade legislative redistricting in New York State, which legislators are pressing to have finished by early 2022.