More than 200 of Carrington's 691 registered voters have signed a petition asking the County Clerk's office to reverse its decision to combine their polling location with Guthrie's.
The locations were combined earlier this year in an attempt to save taxpayer money. New voting cards have been sent out, with a letter dated July 12 explaining the decision from County Clerk Denise Hubbard.
"The combination of the polling places will greatly increase handicap accessibility and save the county taxpayers approximately $2,000 per election," wrote Hubbard, who could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon. She went on to explain that the new polling location was Guthrie Community Church, a handicap-accessible venue large enough to accommodate Carrington's voters and Guthrie's 410, and that despite the combination of polling locations, the precincts were still considered separate entities.
It's an explanation that offers little comfort - and makes little sense - to many of Carrington's voters. Carrington citizen Barbara Shaon, who co-wrote a letter to Hubbard's office with town historian and petition starter Lynn Carrington, voiced her concerns.
"We figure that with (trying to save money) you would surely cut people out," said Barbara Shaon. "The judges that I talked to in our area said they're being used, and if you read her letter it says it's just the location that's being changed, so if you're still using the same judges and clerks, that's not a savings. The only thing I could see that it's saving would be $25 for rental of the polling place, and that's a long way from $2,000."