WACO, Texas (KXXV) — The first day of early voting in McLennan County brought a notable change for voters, as Waco First Assembly of God is no longer serving as a polling location, leading election officials to direct voters to alternative nearby sites.
- Waco First Assembly of God is not a polling site this election.
- Voters are being redirected to nearby locations like the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit.
- Election officials urge residents to stay informed and participate, despite location changes.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The first day of early voting brought out many of our neighbors in McLennan County.
"They will get to vote on 17 different constitutional amendments, we also have 11 local cities, school districts and special districts throughout the county,” said McLennan County Election Administrator Jared Goldsmith.
But this year, some voters noticed a big change.
"I usually go to the Assembly of God or the library but they are not open this time,” said one voter in Waco.
For the first time in years, Waco First Assembly of God church is not serving as a polling location.
"The location we chose was just because of convenience,” said one voter in Waco.
25 News sat down with McLennan County Election Administrator Jared Goldsmith to learn more about that decision.
"The First Assembly of God Church will not be a polling location for this election so you'll need to go to one of the other polling locations. I believe it was a scheduling conflict that they had so we intend on going back next year for primary elections,” said Goldsmith.
Outside the church, signs now alert voters about the change.
But less than a mile away, at Espiscopal Church of the Holy Spirit, neighbors are still able to cast their ballot.
"They are both about the same but this one was less crowded but it's because it is a special election,” said one voter.
"Assembly is always very busy, it's the bigger election, so this would be more comparable to the library. There were not any problems here,” said another voter.
And while the location may be different, election officials say what matters most is showing up.
"I know some elections like president or governor get the attention, unlike these, but you have to take advantage of the fact that we get a say in how our government is run. Go out and vote, make sure your voice is heard,” said Goldsmith.
25 News reached out to First Assembly of God for further comment on the change, in a statement they said:
"We have grown as a church and are using our facility internally more. We were not able to use our gym around 18 weeks a year due to voting. Our childrens’ programming has increased and we prefer to serve the children most days and the larger communities when the space is required.
We decided that for the small number of voters coming for “off-year” elections, that a venue like a City-run public library meeting room is ample. We reserve our gym for public service when the county needs the volume our gym capacity handles.
We love our community and are glad to serve them by hosting voting on Congressional and Presidential Election Years. This includes early voting, voting, run-off elections. On large-voter turnout years the Waco First Assembly of God Gym serves hundreds of people per day, with 70% of early voters using our gym."
Although First Assembly of God will not be a polling location this election there are five other early voting sites. For a full list of polling locations and sites visit our election guide here.
