Tag:amenity=polling_station

amenity = 
Description
A place where one can cast a ballot. Show/edit corresponding data item.
Group: amenities
Used on these elements
may be used on nodesshould not be used on waysmay be used on areas (and multipolygon relations)should not be used on relations (except multipolygon relations)
Useful combination
Status: in usePage for proposal

A polling station is a place where people vote, i.e. where ballots are cast. It can be a room in a building where voter registrations are checked, ballots are provided and voting machines & a ballot box are available, or merely a locked box where mail-in ballots can be deposited, or something in between.

Note that this kind of object - even if appearing at every election in the same place - is tricky to verify as it is typically present only just at election times.

How to Map

Add a node to mark the location; if a whole building is used, it can be tagged instead.

Tags to use in combination

  • polling_station=* - this can be used to describe the type. Known values include:
    • polling_station=ballot_box for an unattended box
    • polling_station=early_voting for an room with voting machines that can be used before the election date
  • opening_hours=* - when the station is available for use.
  • location=* - to specify if it is indoor or outdoor.
  • drive_through=* - to specify if it can be accessed while driving a vehicle. Most commonly used for ballot drop boxes.

Shared-use buildings. Alternative tagging

Very often polling stations are temporarily located in a building which is primarily a community centre or school. To avoid a clash of tags on the building, this amenity=polling_station tag might be placed inside the building on a separate node, but alternatively many mappers are using polling_station=* instead of this tag.

Images

Permanent ballot drop box in Anacortes, WA