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The elections board is looking to eliminate 32 voting precincts in Youngstown and 3 in Struthers
YOUNGSTOWN
The Mahoning County Board of Elections is planning to cut the number of voting precincts by 42 percent in Youngstown in time for the May 2015 primary.
The plan, to be discussed at a Dec. 17 public meeting, would eliminate 32 precincts in the city, from 77 down to 45, with a majority of the polling locations staying the same. That would leave the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Wards with six precincts and the 5th, 6th and 7th with seven precincts.
Taking the biggest hits are the West Side’s 4th and 5th Wards, each losing seven precincts.
“It’s the right thing to do,” said Youngstown Councilman Paul Drennen, D-5th. “It’s only fair that each precinct have an equal number of people. We have some precincts with 200 registered voters and 1,300 in another. It’s a long time coming, but I’m glad the board is getting this done.”
Councilman Mike Ray, D-4th, added: “I think that it’s a sign of the times. The population has decreased, and precincts need to be adjusted accordingly. What’s important is that the representation is fair.”
The proposal also calls for the elimination of three precincts in Struthers — one in each of the four wards except the 3rd.
With the reductions, each of Struthers’ wards would have three polling locations.
No polling locations in Struthers will be eliminated.
The board’s public hearing is at 5 p.m. Dec. 17 at its office in Oakhill Renaissance Place, 345 Oak Hill Ave. in Youngstown.
Each precinct reduced saves the county about $1,200 to $1,500 per election, board officials say.
“The idea is to reduce precincts to save money and to attempt, whenever possible, to equalize the number of people in each precinct,” said Mark Munroe, board of elections chairman and head of the county Republican Party.
The hearing is at the same time as Youngstown City Council’s meeting, but Munroe said the hearing is primarily to get feedback from the public. If Youngstown officeholders want to discuss the proposed changes, they can talk to board officials, he said.
The proposed maps are on the board’s website at vote.mahoningcountyoh.gov/precinct-proposals/ for review.
The board is taking comments, but will have the final say on the reduction, Munroe said.
The board wanted this done a year ago, but delays in Youngstown City Council redistricting its seven wards — and then a failed charter amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot to reduce the wards to five — left the board waiting, Munroe said.
Youngstown, which is seeing the largest cut, and Struthers have partisan primaries for ward council members in May 2015, making those two cities the top priorities, Munroe said.
The board will make decisions on cuts to other communities later in 2015 though no timeline has been determined, he said.
Other communities likely to lose some precincts include Austintown, Campbell, Boardman and Poland Township.
Among the state’s 13 most-populous counties, Mahoning has the lowest average number of voters per precinct at about 620. The statewide average is about 825 per precinct.
With the reductions in Youngstown and Struthers, Mahoning’s average will go to about 710.
The board’s plan has been to cut about 50 to 60 precincts countywide. The reductions in Youngstown and Struthers equal 35.
The board reduced the number of precincts from 416 to 312 in 2001. Since then, small cuts were made in 2006 and 2012, bringing the number to 273.