Concerns are being raised about a polling location in last week’s Rapid City mayoral election.
Of the 25 locations—one includes the church where the mayor-elect is the executive pastor.
The Fountain Springs Church West was first used as a polling location for precinct 5-1 last year, both in the primary and general elections. That church is where mayor-elect Jason Salamun is also the chief of staff.
Cindy Mohler, the Pennington County auditor, said it’s not easy to find polling locations that are handicapped accessible, large, have enough sparking and within the precinct.
“On election day, to us, it’s a polling place,” Mohler said. “We aren’t thinking of it as a church. I had heard Jason Salamun was a pastor—didn’t even really know what church he was a pastor of. I don’t vote in the city, so I hadn’t researched the candidates. That’s not something we do as an office when we look at polling locations, anyway.”
Mohler said the Auditor’s Office assembles the poll workers who work at each location. She said they pull from a list of people who are interested in or have worked elections before. Each location is staffed with residents who live within the precinct.
Of the 275 voters who voted in the precinct, 163 voted at Fountain Springs on Election Day. Mayor-elect Salamun won the election by 269 votes.
When asked about his church being used as a polling location, Salamun said he was nowhere on site on election day.
“I think the people that put it on, the people that serve—the county—the trust lies with them” Salamun said. “Assuming that everything was above reproach, which I believe they do very well. I don't’ have any particular concerns. I get it, but nothing untoward. It’s a building that people walk into, but there are other people that work it who are not connected with the church.”
The second-most vote getter, fellow alderman Laura Armstrong, has called for a recount of the vote. A date for the recount has not been set.
