by

Fred Swift

Hamilton County Reporter

(NOTE:  Commentaries by Fred Swift are posted here through a partnership between LarryInFishers and The Hamilton County Reporter.  The views expressed are those of Fred Swift.)

County Democratic Party Chairman Joe Weingarten says the Hamilton County Elections Office is planning to change the boundaries of many of the county’s voting precincts. But, he feels the precinct committeemen or committeewomen of both political parties should first be consulted “because they know their neighborhoods best.”

Mostly, the changes in precinct lines are necessary because of annexations by the county’s various cities and towns, says Elections Administrator Kathy Richardson. There is little committeemen or anyone else can do about this because precinct boundaries must conform with city limits to allow eligible voters to participate in city elections.

There are also some precincts where the number of voters is rapidly increasing, and shifting boundaries can more equalize the size of precincts to try to avoid long waits for voters on Election Day. In any event, voters will be notified if their polling place changes. Richardson says she invited Weingarten to her office to discuss the changes.  Apparently, Gregg Purvis will appear instead along with some other interested officials of both political parties. Under state election law, any precinct changes must be made by Aug. 11 preceding next spring’s primary election.

Ultimately, the planned changes will go the County Commissioners who officially set the boundaries, but they rely heavily on the elections office to do the research needed to conform with legal requirements.

Weingarten’s criticism follows his earlier promise to speak out on behalf of the minority party on issues in local government that concern him. The party chairman has indicated he did not feel Democrats spoke out enough in the past and wants to be more vocal.