Surry’s Board of Supervisors have scheduled a January public hearing on whether to permanently move the polling location for the county’s Bacon’s Castle District from Mount Nebo Baptist Church to Bacon’s Castle Baptist Church.

In September 2020, Surry County Registrar Sharna’ White received approval from the Virginia Department of Elections to use Bacon’s Castle Baptist Church as an emergency polling site after Mount Nebo sustained damage from heavy flooding.

According to the proposed Board of Supervisors resolution that would make the change permanent, Bacon’s Castle Baptist is “more conducive” for voting because it is more accessible to people with disabilities, has more space to accommodate social distancing, has a parking lot directly in front of the voting entrance and has appropriate lighting for early-morning and late-night officer arrival and departure.

Changing the polling site to Bacon’s Castle Baptist would have little impact on travel time for voters, as the churches are within a 1.1-mile drive of each other, according to the proposed resolution.

The hearing will be during the Board of Supervisors’ regular scheduled January meeting. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in Surry’s general district courtroom at 45 School St.