By Greg Chandler
Zeeland Record
The city of Zeeland is one step closer to consolidating its voter precincts.
The City Council on Dec. 15 voted 6-0 to recommend the consolidation of its precincts from four to two, with State Street serving as the new dividing line between the precincts. The consolidation must be approved by the state, City Clerk Kristi DeVerney said.
The city had been looking at reducing its precincts in light of two state laws that were passed in 2023 that allow a municipality to increase the maximum size of an election precinct from 2,999 to 4,999 registered voters. The move will allow municipalities like Zeeland to cut election costs in response to increased absentee and early in-person voting, DeVerney said.
The late City Clerk Pam Holmes had worked with Ottawa County GIS on redrawing the city’s precinct map before her death, and DeVerney picked up where Holmes had left off.
Under the consolidation plan, the current Precincts 3 and 4 will become the new Precinct 1, west of State Street, and will have 2,708 registered voters, The current Precincts 1 and 2, east of State, will become the new Precinct 2, with 1,785 voters, DeVerney said.
Even though there’s a difference of nearly 1,000 voters between the newly-redrawn precincts, it’s not expected to result in a greater in-person turnout for Precinct 1.
“A lot of those people are in Royal Park (Place) and they are absentee voters, so they will not be (voting) in the precinct (on election days),” DeVerney said.
The consolidation will result in a reduced number of workers that are needed each election and less space needed in the Howard Miller Library to set up polling stations. Extra workers could work the nine days of early voting prior to any state and federal election, DeVerney said.
“Hopefully, those (early voting workers) will be happy because they would only have to work 10-hour days, as opposed to 15-16 hour days on Election Day,” DeVerney said.
One precinct will vote on the top floor of the library while the other will vote on the main floor, DeVerney said.
The consolidation process is expected to be completed by the first of March. Once that’s done, new voter registration cards will be sent to all registered voters “just so they’re aware that things are changing and where they need to be (to vote),” DeVerney said.
Zeeland Record
The city of Zeeland is one step closer to consolidating its voter precincts.
The City Council on Dec. 15 voted 6-0 to recommend the consolidation of its precincts from four to two, with State Street serving as the new dividing line between the precincts. The consolidation must be approved by the state, City Clerk Kristi DeVerney said.
The city had been looking at reducing its precincts in light of two state laws that were passed in 2023 that allow a municipality to increase the maximum size of an election precinct from 2,999 to 4,999 registered voters. The move will allow municipalities like Zeeland to cut election costs in response to increased absentee and early in-person voting, DeVerney said.
The late City Clerk Pam Holmes had worked with Ottawa County GIS on redrawing the city’s precinct map before her death, and DeVerney picked up where Holmes had left off.
Under the consolidation plan, the current Precincts 3 and 4 will become the new Precinct 1, west of State Street, and will have 2,708 registered voters, The current Precincts 1 and 2, east of State, will become the new Precinct 2, with 1,785 voters, DeVerney said.
Even though there’s a difference of nearly 1,000 voters between the newly-redrawn precincts, it’s not expected to result in a greater in-person turnout for Precinct 1.
“A lot of those people are in Royal Park (Place) and they are absentee voters, so they will not be (voting) in the precinct (on election days),” DeVerney said.
The consolidation will result in a reduced number of workers that are needed each election and less space needed in the Howard Miller Library to set up polling stations. Extra workers could work the nine days of early voting prior to any state and federal election, DeVerney said.
“Hopefully, those (early voting workers) will be happy because they would only have to work 10-hour days, as opposed to 15-16 hour days on Election Day,” DeVerney said.
One precinct will vote on the top floor of the library while the other will vote on the main floor, DeVerney said.
The consolidation process is expected to be completed by the first of March. Once that’s done, new voter registration cards will be sent to all registered voters “just so they’re aware that things are changing and where they need to be (to vote),” DeVerney said.
––––––––––––––––––––
Subscribe to the Legal News!
https://legalnews.com/Home/Subscription
Full access to public notices, articles, columns, archives, statistics, calendar and more
Day Pass Only $4.95!
One-County $80/year
Three-County & Full Pass also available
