As soon as Tamaqua voters arrived at the East End Fire Company to cast their ballots Tuesday, poll workers greeted them and asked a question:

“Do you usually vote at the borough building?”

If they answered “yes,” they were directed to a back portion of the fire company’s garage. If they didn’t, they cast their ballots closer to the door.

It was the first time for the site to house two voting precincts - and it made for a cramped and confusing day, said Katherine Serrano, judge of elections for the second precinct.

Third precinct voters - who previously visited Tamaqua Municipal Building for elections - were directed to go to the fire company, where the second precinct had its poll for years.

“It’s been a total mess,” said Joe Salla, judge of elections for the third precinct.

Serrano said some voters weren’t aware of the change even though they should have received notification from the Schuylkill County Election Bureau,

“There should have been more communication with the public,” Serrano said. “We have a lot of seniors here. They are confused. People are walking away.”

Serrano said the fire company moved trucks from its garage to accommodate election workers and voters. Even so, the space became crowded at times, she noted.

Originally, she said, the third precinct was to set up inside the fire company’s kitchen. But a peek inside revealed appliances, counters and supplies - and likely not enough room to house voters.

Serrano questioned why the election couldn’t have remained at the more spacious municipal building, or a similar community building.

Albert L. Gricoski, director of the Schuylkill County Election Bureau, explained that the polls had to be combined after a Tamaqua borough official expressed concerns about voting traffic in and out of the municipal building.

As a result, Gricoski said the bureau decided to “try out” two polls at the East End Fire Company.

A sign was posted at the borough building to notify voters of the change, Serrano said. Notices were also posted at the East End Fire Company.

At least one individual didn’t see the signs and showed up at the South Ward Fire Company, which is the fourth precinct’s polling site.

“Does the third precinct vote here?,” she asked individuals who were standing outside the polling place there.

Salla said space was at a premium at East End and some folks didn’t know where to go without directions from poll workers.

“Sir! Sir!,” he said as one voter attempted to insert his completed ballot into the other precinct’s voting machine.

“It’s been like this all day,” Salla noted.

The third precinct has been relocated before. It was at the Tamaqua Hi-Rise before its move to the municipal building in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each of the borough’s four precincts has historically had its own space to vote.