by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury

A proposal to close and consolidate two voting precincts in Appomattox County has sparked concerns about voter access and racial equity, as the changes would disproportionately impact Black and minority voters.

The county’s Board of Elections made the request at the Jan. 21, 2025, Board of Supervisors meeting, targeting precinct 201 in the Chap community and 502 in Agee — the two with the highest percentages of Black and racial minority voters among the county’s nine precincts. 

According to census block data compiled by the NAACP Virginia State Conference, 36.7% of Chap precinct voters and 24.4% of Agee precinct voters are Black. Racial minority voters overall make up 40.27% and 27.82% of the respective precincts.

Appomattox County, home to just over 16,000 residents and situated between Lynchburg to the west and Farmville to the east, is a Republican stronghold. In the 2021 gubernatorial race, GOP nominee Glenn Youngkin dominated with 80% over Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who received 19%. In the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump carried the county by a wide margin, winning 75% of the vote to Joe Biden’s 24%.

If approved, the closures would force many voters in these precincts to travel significantly farther to cast their ballots — up to 30 additional minutes by car or over four hours on foot in some cases. The lack of public transportation in the county exacerbates the impact, especially for elderly voters or those without access to a vehicle.

The Virginia NAACP condemned the proposed closures, calling them a direct threat to voting rights.

“Voting is a fundamental right and the foundation of our democracy,” said Virginia NAACP President Rev. Cozy Bailey. 

“All citizens of Appomattox County are entitled to have an equal opportunity to participate in the electoral process regardless of their race or ethnicity. Throughout our history, various tactics have been employed to limit access to the ballot, including precinct closures, voter ID laws, and other measures that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.”

Bailey added that the proposal, if enacted, would “perpetuate these historical patterns and result in barriers to participation for Black voters in Appomattox County.”

According to a Feb. 18 letter from the Virginia NAACP to the Board of Supervisors, and obtained by The Mercury, the proposed closures would place significant burdens on affected voters. The Chap precinct’s voters would be reassigned to Spout Spring, requiring an 11.7-mile trip — about a 17-minute drive or a 4.25-hour walk. Agee voters would be reassigned to Oakville, a distance of 5.8 miles, or an 8-minute drive and a two-hour walk.

“These already-long distances are calculated from the existing to proposed polling sites,” the NAACP’s letter states, “so in many instances, voters will be required to travel even greater distances.”

The Mercury reached out to the local elections board and the Board of Supervisors for comment. While no members of the Board of Supervisors responded by the time of publication, General Registrar Patricia Morton provided an email statement referencing the findings of the local Precinct Review Committee, which cited cost savings as the primary motivation for the proposed precinct closures.

According to the committee, closing the two precincts would save the county $1,527 in fiscal year 2025 and $5,374 in fiscal year 2026. Long-term savings are projected at $24,600 for replacing outdated tabulators and ballot markers, along with $2,554 for purchasing electronic poll books.

Morton also noted that after meeting to discuss the matter Tuesday afternoon, election officials plan to revisit certain aspects of the proposal before finalizing changes. 

“We will talk with the Board of Supervisors again in two weeks, and recommend they move forward merging Agee and Oakville, but pause and review another, more central location for Falling River district (Chap and Spout Spring merger),” Morton said in an email. 

However, elections are the cornerstone of democracy, providing the primary means for most citizens to participate, says David Richards, a political science professor at the University of Lynchburg. While elections are costly to run, requiring staff and modern equipment, accessibility should not be compromised. 

“Anytime barriers are introduced to voting, the number of participants decreases,” Richards said, emphasizing that factors like lack of transportation should not prevent people from casting their ballots. The financial realities counties face must be balanced with the need to ensure as many people as possible can legally vote.

Richards added that while structural issues, such as the disrepair of the Agee precinct building, may justify some changes, the fact that the two targeted precincts have the highest minority populations raises questions of voter suppression. 

“I will not assume motive, but we should look at the facts as they are,” Richards said, questioning why closer precincts like Stonewall and Spout Spring were not considered for consolidation instead. Ultimately, he argued, demographic data must play a role in these decisions and should not be overlooked by the Board of Supervisors.

And voting rights advocates argue that budget concerns should not take precedence over voter access.

“We should work to make voting easier and more accessible, not create new obstacles to the ballot box,” Bailey said. The Virginia NAACP urged the Board of Supervisors to explore alternatives that would maintain voting access without creating undue burdens for Black and minority voters.

(Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.)