by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
When people hear there’s talk of voting precincts being eliminated, the immediate reaction is “What? Why?”
Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland is indeed looking to eliminate 26 precincts all over Jacksonville. However, his decision will not affect elections and it won’t mean fewer polling locations.
“They are where we have dual precincts in one location,” said Holland.
The idea has been kicked around for a while. Holland explained that after looking at the precincts map of Duval County, he and his staff realized there are 26 precincts in the same place. Instead of immediately eliminating them, the elections office sought other locations. However, Holland said, many of the dual precincts are in residential areas and there isn’t a church or other public building that is American with Disabilities Act compliant near that could serve as a voting precinct.
Once the dual precincts were identified, Holland notified the nine City Council members whose districts would be affected. He met with each as well as the local chairs of the Republican and Democratic parties.
“There was no opposition,” he said.
According to his numbers, Holland says the changes — which require Council approval through a resolution — will save his office a little over $1,200 per election per polling location. That’s about $16,000 per election total.
“That’s not a lot, but these days any amount you can save is good,” he said.
Former Council President Michael Corrigan represents Dist. 14, which is the Riverside/Avondale/Ortega area. He said there are currently two precincts operating out of the same building on election day. Corrigan has talked with Holland and plans to meet with some of the voters who use the precinct. His objective to is make sure nothing is inconvenient to the voter.
“In this case, there are two polling locations in one building and in the past there has been some confusion as to which line to get into,” said Corrigan. “If this does increase (the time it takes to vote) or cause a delay, I could be supportive. Supervisor Holland has assured me there will be the same staffing levels with the exception of a couple of managers. Any time you can work more efficiently, especially in this tight budget time, we should look into the feasibility of it.”
Holland said he will be able to reduce the staff at the polling locations by one manager and one deputy. However, there will be the same number of voting booths.
“It will make things less complicated,” said Holland, adding his office has been looking at the issue for a year. “Obviously we knew the issue existed. We had three elections last year, so it made no sense to make the changes.”
The only election on the schedule this year is in Atlantic Beach.
Holland said he would like to see his bill introduced to Council June 9.
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