One Year Later All Is Quiet At Southard

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy much of Howell was still in the dark on Election Day 2012 which made it a challenge to find polling places in the township. A year later and it is a much different scene at what was at the time the busiest location.
One of the solutions by the administration following the storm was to pack 12 voting districts into the gym at the old Southard School. The building, currently operated by the Howell PAL became the center of voting for the night.
Those residents looking to vote were directed to park across the street at Walmart and walk to the gym as there was nowhere near enough parking in the usual lots.
The Howell Police Department was not only charged with keeping traffic as orderly as possible but also made sure there were no issues inside the old elementary school.
This year the school was much quieter with no voting in the building taking place in the building at all. The flashing sign on Kent road that was used to direct traffic to alternate parking locations was replaced by a simple handwritten sign on the door of the building simply saying there was no voting here on this Election Day.
While this left some residents wondering where they were supposed to vote the confusion and excitement of a year ago was greatly reduced.