Suffolk City Council on Wednesday approved changes to six polling places, but the changes will not take effect until after the March 1 primary.

Nearly 15,000 voters will be affected by the changes, which General Registrar Susan Saunders said in Wednesday’s meeting were proposed after an extensive review of voting site parking, accessibility and security.

In four of the six affected precincts, the polling place will move from a school or a library to a church. That leaves a bad taste in the mouth of Claudia Lee, who was the only citizen to speak against the changes during the public hearing.

She said she was “appalled” that voting would be held in a church. She said she pictured voting booths at the altar and a pastor at the door with a collection plate.

“I can’t understand how you can go to a church and not be influenced by that,” she said. She said homosexual voters would be particularly affected because of the stand many religious organizations have taken against gay marriage. They will have to go to “places they’d just as soon didn’t exist” to vote, she said.

Lee also noted that asking Christians to vote in a Buddhist or Sikh temple, among other places of non-Christian worship, likely wouldn’t fly.

She also challenged the contention that the long hallways in the schools prove challenging to elderly and disabled voters. “There are people around the world who face violence and death” to vote, she said. She also said curbside voting is an option for those people.

Saunders said the voting is held in a social hall or reception area, not in the sanctuary. It also doesn’t take place on a Sunday or Wednesday, which are typically days worship services or Bible studies are held.

“Many churches use social halls for many different things,” Councilman Roger Fawcett said.

Several precincts already use churches as their polling place.

The changes were approved unanimously.

The new polling places are as follows:

• Bennett’s Creek: Nansemond River Baptist Church (formerly Creekside Elementary School)
• Hillpoint: Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church (formerly Hillpoint Elementary School)
• Holland: Holland Community House (formerly Holland Fire Station)
• Lakeside: Suffolk Presbyterian Church (formerly Morgan Memorial Library)
• Nansemond River: Canaan Baptist Church (formerly Nansemond River High School)
• Whaleyville: Whaleyville Recreation Center (formerly Whaleyville Community Center)

Saunders said all affected voters will receive new voter cards in the mail. Notices also will be posted at previous polling places on Election Day.

Since voters will vote at the old polling places during the March 1 primary, one council member suggested handing out notices regarding the new polling places during the primary.