VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The city council voted unanimously this week to spend $17.25 million on a new elections headquarters to be located at 500 Studio Drive near Mount Trashmore.
The current registrar's office is at the Municipal Center in Building 14, where the building is shared with the Agriculture Department.
Several functions are also spread across multiple buildings.
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"If you're going to have a state of the art facility, you have to make an investment in that, and I think it shows what our priorities are as a city," said Maurice Hawkins, a resident.
During Tuesday's meeting, the Director of Public Works L.J. Hansen said the property selected as the new registrar's office had to meet several criteria.
"It has to have a lot of very specific requirements," he said, adding that the property is close to a bus stop. "It has to have the ability to have the public be able to get there effectively and easily."
Tina Sinnen, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, is in charge of making sure elections equipment is secure once voting is done. She says a new facility would only beef up security.
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"Moving ballots from four different locations, makeshift vaults, re-keying doors, making sure those doors only have one key and that key is in my hands is an enormous stress," said Sinnen.
The city estimated the cost of building a new facility at $25 million.
While some might consider the price-tag to be steep, the unanimous vote shows city leaders think it's necessary.
"More citizens of Virginia Beach will have access to the Voter Registration and Elections Center," said Hawkins.
The City's Registrar Christine Lewis said there was no expected date for moving to the new facility yet, but expects it will be sometime in 2025.
