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Mahoning residents concerned about precinct-reduction plan
By Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Twenty-eight people filled the Mahoning County Board of Elections board room to ask questions and raise concerns about a proposal to slash the number of voting precincts in Youngstown and Struthers.
The plan would eliminate 32 precincts in Youngstown, from 77 to 45, but the polling locations will stay the same. That would leave the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th wards with six precincts and the 5th, 6th and 7th wards with seven precincts.
It also includes the elimination of three precincts in Struthers — one each in the 1st, 2nd and 4th wards.
“We’re mandated by the Secretary of State to increase the number of voters per precinct,” said David Betras, board vice chairman and chairman of the county’s Democratic Party. “We have the lowest number of voters per precinct in the whole state.”
Even with the reduction, the county still will have fewer voters per precinct than the state average, he said.
Carol Crytzer, Struthers 2nd Ward councilwoman, and Tony Fire, Struthers 1st Ward councilman, questioned why their city was being singled out since it lost precincts a few years ago.
“We’re largely Democrat, and we’re being penalized because we’re largely Democrat,” Fire said.
Joyce Kale-Pesta, director, said precinct reductions will be undertaken in other parts of the county, too, but Struthers and Youngstown have primary elections this year. That’s why the board tackled them first.
Mark Munroe, board chairman and chairman of the county’s Republican Party, said the board has been working on a precinct-reduction plan for more than a year. It was slowed because of Youngstown redistricting its wards.
Michael O’Hara, a Youngstown precinct committeeman, said he was elected by the people to represent his precinct, and his term is supposed to last four years.
“This should have been done before there was an election,” he said.
Tracey Winbush, board member, said precinct committeemen and women will continue to serve those who elected them through the end of their respective terms. When the term is up though, they may have to face other precinct committeemen and women to win the seat in the new, larger precinct.
Betras said any time the board made the change it would be after precinct committeemen and women were elected.
Youngstown resident Bobbe Reynolds said he’s concerned about elderly people being able to get to the polls with the new plan.
Betras said that by having precincts with more voters, the board can create super-polling places.
Super-polling places have location supervisors who help people get to the correct location to cast their votes, Betras said. If a person votes in the wrong precinct, those votes have to be thrown out and aren’t counted.
“We have to make voting as seamless and as easy as possible, and Youngstown has an abysmal turnout record for voting,” he said.
Munroe said board staff will review the comments, and the board will go over those comments and possibly vote on the plan at its next meeting at 8 a.m. Jan. 6.