1 in 5 polling places have closed over last decade: Investigation

Over the past decade, about one in five polling locations have closed nationwide.

It is a decrease that has left some vulnerable populations struggling to vote and has also led to confusion on Election Day.

A nationwide ABC News data investigation looked at the bigger issue as well as the impact on the Delaware Valley.

On a windy October afternoon, the Action News Investigative Team caught up with Janice Roots and other volunteers who were going door-to-door in Salem City, New Jersey.

Roots leads a get-out-the-vote effort that not only encourages unregistered voters to sign up but also makes sure those who are already registered know the location to vote.

“We’re a food desert. We’re a media desert,” said Roots. “So we have a lot of challenges in Salem.”

Over the past decade, Salem City has lost half its polling locations. It went from four to two. Root said many voters were never notified.

“People don’t know where their wards are,” she said. “They have no idea. And for the people who live in the far corners of the city, how are they going to get there? We don’t have buses.”

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