May 28, 2020 3 min read

Sixteen polling places in 11 Washington County municipalities have changed since last November’s voting, and the elections office has, by mail, directed affected voters to the new locations for the June 2 primary.

Here is a list of the voting precincts and addresses:

• Blaine Township, Taylorstown Volunteer Fire Department, 44 Main St.;
• Canonsburg Second Ward, Second Precinct, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 191, 539 W. Pike St.;
• Canton Township’s First and Fourth Precincts, Canton Township social hall, 2684 Jefferson Ave., Washington;
• Charleroi Third Precinct, Volunteer Fire Department, 328 Fallowfield Ave.;
• Charleroi Fourth Precinct, City Outreach Church, 1006 Fallowfield Ave.;
• Charleroi Sixth Precinct, St. Andrew the Apostle Church, 324 Washington Ave.;
• Chartiers Township Fifth and Sixth Precincts, Chartiers Township Community Center, 2013 Community Center Drive, Houston;
• Claysville, Hunt-Kennedy American Legion Post No. 63, 208 Main St.;
• Coal Center, borough building, 135 Water St.;
• Cross Creek Township, Third Precinct, Bull Pen Rustic Inn, 201 County Park Road, Avella;
• East Bethlehem Fourth Precinct, former dry cleaner’s building, 387 Front St., Fredericktown;
• Monongahela Third Ward, Second Precinct, fire hall, 451 W. Main St.;
• Mt. Pleasant Township Second and Third Precincts, Volunteer Fire Department, 106 Main St., Hickory.

To open and categorize thousands of absentee and mail-in ballots requested for the June 2 primary, the Washington County Salary Board unanimously agreed to create 12 positions known as “pre-canvass workers” who will be paid $130 for working on Election Day.

Those assigned tasks related to mail-in ballots will be receiving the same compensation as those who are serving on local election boards.

Although they’re called “mail-in,” the double envelopes containing ballots can also be hand-delivered to the Courthouse Square office building, West Cherry Avenue, before the 8 p.m. Tuesday, deadline, the time that polls close.

The pre-canvass workers will be on the job by 7 a.m. on Election Day, having been given permission by the Department of State to begin processing mail-in ballots.

The Department of State reminds those using mail that ballots received by the elections office after 8 p.m. on June 2 will not be counted, regardless of the postmark.

Although Washington County had been appointing a nine-member canvass board for decades, this year the post-election review and recording are to be completed by a group of six.

Commission Chairman Diana Irey Vaughan said Elections Director Melanie Ostrander, in a review of procedures, determined that fewer workers could handle the job.

Appointed to the canvass board last week were David Kresh, Cathi Kresh, Mary Lea Dutton, Charlie Watts, Heather Wilhelm and Kevin Hill.