The Mahoning County Board of Elections is once again under pressure to take action after officials raised new concerns about the condition of their current facility on Oak Hill Avenue — and voters voiced worries about accessibility if the office moves elsewhere.

During Tuesday’s regular board meeting, members said the building had to be closed twice in the past two weeks, including once due to a power outage. The disruptions prompted renewed discussion around the board’s existing contingency plan and what additions may now be necessary.

“This building has been closed down twice in the last two weeks,” said Tom McCabe, Director of the Board of Elections. “We’re going to take a look at and add some items to it… like possibly providing additional backup generators for the building itself.”

Board Chairman David Betras said conditions inside the facility are unacceptable, pointing to damaged infrastructure and unsafe working environments.
“I do not feel safe in this building and these workers in this building at all… not one bit,” Betras said. “Not what I saw on the fifth floor, not what I saw on the other floors, not where I saw we had tarps over things. This is not how we should be running people’s democracy.”

Beyond structural issues, members of the public raised another concern: transportation. Jaladah Aslam, a political consultant, urged the board to consider holding more public hearings and to prioritize bus route access if the elections office is moved out of Youngstown.

“We don’t want to make it harder for people to vote,” Aslam said. “We insist that it be on a bus route.”

Betras agreed, stating that accessibility has been a priority in board discussions. “That was the one thing, right?” he said. “That we insisted on — that there be public transportation wherever we move.”

The board has not made a final decision about relocating but said it plans to meet with Mahoning County commissioners to discuss next steps. For now, officials are working to update the contingency plan and continue exploring long-term solutions that ensure both election security and voter access.