Nearly 15,000 registered voters in Suffolk will vote at a different location than they are accustomed to in November if a slate of recommendations is approved.

The local Electoral Board has recommended six polling place locations to change for a variety of reasons, including parking, accessibility for elderly and disabled and security concerns.

“All of our concerns are for the voter, to make it efficient, to make it safe, to make it accessible,” Registrar Susan Saunders said. “We want it to be efficient no mater where we are, but we also want to be safe and accessible.”

Saunders said the electoral board has been working on the recommendations for a couple of years. They have visited polling places on Election Day and visited the buildings that are recommended to become new polling places.

“We’ve all done our homework,” Saunders said. “This is not just an overnight thing.”

Beverly Outlaw, one of the members of the Electoral Board, said in Wednesday’s City Council work session that the changes are also based on population shifts and comments from voters.

Board member Les Ward outlined the recommended changes.

In both the Bennett’s Creek and Hillpoint precincts, the concerns are the same: limited parking, a walk down a long hallway that becomes a problem for elderly or disabled voters, and security concerns when school remains in session on Election Day, which happens for primary or special elections.

Bennett’s Creek voters cast their ballots at Creekside Elementary School, while Hillpoint voters do so at Hillpoint Elementary School.

“This is something we’ve been looking at for quite a while, and we’d like to change,” Ward said.

The recommended site for Bennett’s Creek is Nansemond River Baptist Church, while Hillpoint voters would go to Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church. Ward said Nansemond River Baptist Church has been used as a polling place in the past.

In the Nansemond River precinct, voters currently visit Nansemond River High School to vote. But it has been difficult to find a suitable location in the school, Ward said. Voting currently happens in the auditorium, which is a troublesome configuration.

“You have to go all the way down the walkway to the stage, walk across in front of the stage and then walk right back up the next ramp,” he said.

Canaan Baptist Church is the proposed location for the Nansemond River precinct.

In Holland, voters currently vote at the fire station. It has extremely limited parking and is located on a country road near a dangerous intersection, Ward said.

Holland Community House is the recommended location for Holland voters.

In Whaleyville, the recommendation is to switch from the old community center — which has limited parking and indoor space for voters to wait — to the new recreation center on Robertson Street, the former Robertson Elementary School.

Finally, in Lakeside, voters used to the cramped hallways and limited parking at Morgan Memorial Library might find Suffolk Presbyterian Church a welcome change, Ward said.

“This is an extremely bad situation,” Ward said of the library. Voters enter and exit in the same narrow hallway and make several turns in the building to find the polling place — assuming, that is, they can find a place to park.

“There’s very limited parking, whether they’re going to the library or to vote,” Ward said.

A public hearing on the proposed changes is set for the Jan. 20 City Council meeting. City Council is the only body that needs to approve the changes, City Attorney Helivi Holland said Wednesday.

“I think it’s a good idea to move some of these locations,” Councilman Roger Fawcett said during Wednesday’s work session.

Saunders said polling place locations are paid $150 per election for their service.

She added that affected voters will receive new voter cards in the mail if the change is approved. In addition, notices will be posted at previous polling places on Election Day, and the new polling places will be clearly marked with signs.