The Lynchburg Electoral Board cannot agree on the merits of the Lynchburg First Church of the Nazarene and will make no recommendation regarding its possible use as a polling place.
The three-member electoral board, charged with vetting the church on Wards Ferry Road, found itself unable to reach a decision Monday after one member stood in firm support of the church, another stood opposed and a third was forced to abstain.
The suitability of the church building itself did not appear to be in contention, but officials split over the question of bus access, a concern raised frequently and fervently by Liberty University, which buses its students to the polls on Election Day.
Chairwoman Arelia Langhorne argued that election guidelines do not direct the board to give weight to such considerations.
“There’s nothing in the manual that says we have to consider the type of transportation some people might use,” she said. “… I realize this has become a very political issue, but I want the minutes to reflect it was my opinion that the special ways some people might be taking to get to the polls should not be the thing that determines if a site is suitable or not.”
Langhorne added that many polling places in Lynchburg would not be able to allow buses to drive directly on-site as desired by LU. She said she felt First Church of the Nazarene was a beautiful and accessible location.
John Cobbs, electoral board secretary, spoke against the church, citing concerns raised by the Lynchburg Area Center for Independent Living, a disability advocacy group that was part of the formal site assessment process.
LACIL gave high marks to the church building itself, but said it felt the problem of bus access was a significant concern that could make it more difficult for disabled bus riders to vote.
“We’ve got to enable people with disabilities to get to the polls,” Cobbs said. “If they are going to have a problem getting in and out of this site, then I think the site doesn’t qualify.”
Vice Chairman John Falcone, an attorney specializing in employment law, abstained from the vote as both he and his law firm do work for LU.
Unable to reach a consensus, the electoral board will forward the information it gathered on to City Council with no recommendation attached. Council is scheduled to convene a public hearing on this matter at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, 900 Church St.
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