Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
MONTGOMERY COUNTY- Montgomery County resident Waymon Pack addressed the Board of Supervisors at a recent BOS regarding the ease of access to voting that absentee ballots offer instead of satellite polling places.
During the Nov. 23, 2024 Board of Supervisors meeting, Pack expressed his thoughts about the new satellite polling place in Blacksburg for this past presidential election. Earlier in the year, the discussions and citizen comments regarding the satellite polling office were passionate, with board members and citizens alike arguing for either side of the issue. During these discussions, the ease of absentee ballots was addressed as an option for all voters who could not go out to the polls or wanted ease in their voting process. In the end, the ayes had prevailed and the satellite polling office opened in Blacksburg with the intention of aiding in voting access for Montgomery County residents.
With early voting, public transit, absentee voting, and the new satellite location, Montgomery County residents were encouraged to exercise their right to vote in whichever way they preferred this past election, resulting in well over 60,000 Montgomery County votes in the recent election.
“As it gets closer to the holidays,” Pack spoke to the board, “and people begin to submit their wish list for the upcoming budget, I wanted to speak to you before next year’s budget process begins concerning the additional satellite voting location that was approved this year for the Blacksburg area. There have been additional discussions about adding more satellite voting locations in the Riner and Shawsville areas. Let me be as clear and succinct as possible, there are absolutely no fiscally sound reasons to ever spend the money of the good citizens of this county on projects such as these. As I have spoken on this before, let me reiterate some of my prior talking points as well as submit more information. Early voting in Virginia began on September 20th of this year. My wife and I received our absentee ballots via the mail on September the 21st. I doubt that anyone in the county would be inconvenienced by waiting one day past the earliest possible voting date to receive a free ballot in the mail. If a person does not trust the mail to return their ballot, they can drop their completed ballot off at the registrar’s office or have a trusted friend or relative do it for them. This is what I do on one of my trips to Christiansburg. It took me about two minutes to park, walk in drop, my ballot in the box inside the door and return to my vehicle. Requesting and returning an absentee ballot is absolutely free not only to the voter, but also requires no bus or taxi to return. The prospective voter need not be concerned with travel time or expense.”
Pack said the State of Virginia has provisions in place for absentee ballots and voters, including becoming a permanent absentee voter. These provisions, Pack stated, are for any and all elections as long as they are eligible to vote. In a previous Board of Supervisors meeting, members commented on how many voters stopped in to vote on their way to a Virginia Tech football game. Pack reference that statement and pointed it out to be ironic as well as stating that the satellite polling station may not have been necessary as there were almost 30 polling places already established in Montgomery County before this year and this polling station.
“Please stop this madness,” Pack said, “before it goes any further. If this board has additional discretionary funds to spend, use them for free lunches for all the Montgomery County School students as Supervisor King had suggested. That is an expenditure that benefits our county and our future.”
