Voters in Newport News’ South Morrison precinct saw a last-minute change to their polling place in November’s state election after a vehicle crashed into their original location. That temporary change became permanent following a unanimous City Council vote Tuesday.

Newport News Public Schools’ Campus for Student Success, located along Adams Drive and former South Morrison School, will serve as the new precinct for roughly 3,300 registered voters. The new location is roughly a two-minute drive from Ivy Farms Community of Faith Church, which previously served as the polling precinct along Ivy Farms Road.

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A vehicle drove through the building’s brick exterior three days before Election Day last year. The church was forced to close its fellowship hall that contained the voting precinct, leaving South Morrison residents in need of a replacement leading up to this year’s midterms.

Ivy Farms Pastor Alexander Jamison said the church volunteered to be a precinct roughly five years ago, and served its role until the collision.

“I’ve always been involved in the community in the sense of wanting to be able to do that, to be open for people to come in and use the church as a polling precinct,” Jamison said. “So, we enjoyed that experience.”

Since the collision, Jamison said the church has maintained its Sunday services, but has been unable to use its fellowship hall for events and gatherings while he waits for insurance money to be made available for repairs. He added that’s impacted the small church’s ability to be a place of healing it strives to be for its community.

“We’re not able to hold those kinds of events so we can sit and talk and share, so there’s been a hindrance to the normal process of gathering over coffee or tea and talk about issues in the community of invite other churches to come in and share in that fellowship,” Jamison said.

Newport News Police Department spokesperson Matt Michalec confirmed that after investigating the crash, police found the driver had no criminal intent and was not charged. Michalec declined to provide additional information about the cause “out of privacy for the subject involved.”

Newport News Public Schools has already granted permission to use the site as a polling precinct this year.

Councilmember John Eley, who represents South Morrison, told council Tuesday he’s glad to see his constituents have a consistent polling precinct after experiencing confusion last fall.

“I’m glad for the change, because for so long, voters have been confused on voting precinct to vote at,” Eley said. “Happy to see this come before us.”

Election season will be different in Virginia this year. A special election on a proposed redistricting map is slated for April 21, with early in-person voting set to open on March 6. Primaries for U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and local office races are later than normal as a result of the redistricting vote. The primaries will take place on Aug. 4, with early in-person voting set to begin on June 18. The general elections are Nov. 3 and early in-person voting begins Sept. 18.

The ordinance still requires the Virginia Attorney General to issue a certification of no objection to the change within 60 days before it becomes effective.

Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, devlin.epding@virginiamedia.com

https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/02/25/newport-news-moves-polling-place-from-damaged-church/