LaFAYETTE — The Chambers County Commission voted to close three polling places Monday ahead of the 2020 general election.

The Penton, Milltown and Stroud polling places will no longer be used as voting sites and residents in those precincts will be required to vote elsewhere.

According to Chambers County Attorney Skip McCoy, the commission, along with a committee, has been studying how to merge several precincts into a better location with more efficient facilities to accommodate all voters.

“It will be an upgrade,” he said. “The people will get a better facility, and it will be more spacious with accessibility.”

The current proposal will have all voters in the Penton area vote in Union Hill. Milltown voters will be divided at Chikasanoxee Creek. McCoy said all the voters south of the creek would go to Union Hill. Those north of the creek will vote in Mount Olive, which is in north Chambers County, but east of Union Hill.

McCoy said the Standing Rock precinct would absorb the Stroud precinct.

“The commission and committee have been very diligent to create clear lines of demarcation for voters to make it easy for them to identify where they are voting,” McCoy said.

He said the commission would host public hearings in November to allow the public to ask questions about where the lines will be placed.

McCoy said moving the precincts has nothing to do with the number of voters at each site.

He said it’s more about upgrading the facilities.

Chambers County Chairman David Eastridge said the accommodations at the polling places that will be closed aren’t welcoming for all voters.

“The time has come with the handicapped accessibility issues, running water, toilets, good conditions for people to vote in, we have come to this point to where we needed to do something,” he said. “I appreciate the committee working hard like they did to come up with a solution.”