Two Hoover polling sites split due to congestion

More than 7,000 voters in Hoover will have a new polling place for the Nov. 8 general election, according to the  Jefferson County Board of Registrars.

The county is splitting two Hoover polling places that now have too many people voting in a single location, said Barry Stephenson, chairman of the Board of Registrars. Those sites are the Hoover Recreation Center and Prince of Peace Catholic Church.

The Hoover Rec Center’s voting rolls had expanded to about 8,000 voters, which made it the largest polling place in Jefferson County, Stephenson said. Now, those voters will be split among three different polling places, Stephenson said.

About 2,500 voters will continue voting at the Hoover Rec Center, while about 2,800 will move to the Hoover Senior Center at 400 Municipal Drive and about 2,800 will move to the Birmingham First Seventh-day Adventist Church at 3520 Lorna Road, Stephenson said.

Meanwhile, the voting rolls at Prince of Peace Catholic Church had grown to about 7,000 voters, he said. About 5,300 of those people will continue voting at Prince of Peace, but about 1,700 are being moved to the Birmingham Community Church at 2269 Chapel Road, he said.

The polls are being split to reduce congestion and wait times for voting. The new polling places will stay in effect for municipal elections as well, Stephenson said.

Also, the Jefferson County Board of Registrars is mailing cards to voters to inform them of their new locations to vote, Stephenson said.