Polk County Election office vandalism leads to new security

Catch up fast: Somebody kicked the office's front door just before the election, spiderwebbing its glass.

• The person did not gain entry to the building and their intentions remain unknown, Fitzgerald says.
• There have been no arrests.

What's happening: The door was quickly repaired but the incident prompted a security review.

• There are now plans to replace the door with one that has less glass and install a new monitoring system.

State of play: The improvements, estimated to cost just over $22,000, are anticipated to be completed before the June 4 primary election.

Plus, the office will likely seek a dedicated security employee during election time, Fitzgerald told supervisors in a budget hearing last month.

What we're watching: The election office also needs to undergo renovations to accommodate bigger crowds because of recent state laws that narrow where and when people vote, Fitzgerald says.

• Polk County Supervisor's Chairperson Angela Connolly told Fitzgerald during last month's meeting that she's willing to consider relocating the office to another larger downtown site.