Email a Friend
RSS
digg it
Printer Friendly
Mobile Alerts
Sphere IT
Save This PageChesterfield changes
The Chesterfield County Electoral Board proposes several changes to polling places to help ensure an orderly Election Day:
SPLIT PRECINCTS
Dutch Gap precinct in the Bermuda District would be split to create a new precinct north of the CSX railroad line with the polling place at Elizabeth Scott Elementary School. It would be called E. Scott.
Wells precinct in the Bermuda District would be split to create a new precinct west of Happy Hill Road, with the polling place at Carver Middle School. It would be called Carver.
Chippenham precinct in the Dale District would be split to create a new precinct south of Jessup Road at Southside Baptist Church. It would be called Southside.
Deer Run precinct in the Matoaca District has already been split for November. Voters to the south and west of Winterpock Road and U.S. 360 will vote at Cosby High School instead of Clover Hill Library.
MOVE PRECINCTS
Enon precinct in the Bermuda District would move from the Enon Fire Station to Elizabeth Davis Middle School. The school is scheduled to open in the fall. Meadowbrook precinct in the Dale District would move from New Covenant Presbyterian Church to Meadowbrook High School.
Beach precinct in the Matoaca District would move from the Beach Community Grange Building to Second Branch Baptist Church.
Matoaca precinct in the Matoaca District would move from Matoaca Elementary School to Matoaca Middle School East, which is the old Matoaca High School.
Chesterfield County election officials rolled out proposed changes yesterday to better accommodate voters in preparation for November's presidential election.
The plan -- split three precincts to create three new polling places and move four others to larger locations -- comes after the county's much-criticized handling of the Feb. 12 presidential primary, when long delays and parking problems drew the ire of many voters.
"The net effect of the moves is that polling places will be located in friendlier facilities for the voters," Chesterfield Registrar Lawrence C. Haake said. "It will reduce the voters assigned to each precinct and make the experience more pleasant."
Heavy turnout for the February primary resulted in nine precincts running out of paper ballots and election officials handing out blank sheets of paper for voters to write their selections. The Virginia State Board of Elections ruled in late February that the 299 handwritten votes would not be counted, and it launched an investigation into the election. The results of that investigation will be presented to the public May 23.
Haake took responsibility for the ballot shortage, saying his office was caught unprepared by unprecedented turnout.
About 62,000 people voted in Chesterfield, including 38,481 in the Democratic primary. About 12,000 had voted in the Democratic presidential primary in 2004.
Haake has said ballots and staffing won't be an issue in November. But yesterday, bracing for record voter turnout, Haake and the county Electoral Board finalized the proposed changes for managing the county's nearly 194,000 registered voters -- Virginia's fourth largest voter population.
The county's Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the changes at its May 28 meeting.
Board Chairman A.S. "Art" Warren said he didn't foresee any problems at the board level, given the frustrations of February.
"This would certainly seem to make it easier for people to get in and vote," Warren said yesterday.
If the board agrees to the plan, it will go to the U.S. Department of Justice for final approval.
Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or whester@timesdispatch.com.
