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Putnam County approves precinct and magisterial-district changes; clerk warns of new voter ID rules
Summary
Putnam County commissioners approved an order that redraws magisterial districts and reassigns several polling places and precinct census blocks to match municipal boundaries and reduce ballot styles; County Clerk Brian Wood also notified residents of new state voter ID rules and changes to primary participation.
Putnam County commissioners on Aug. 26 approved an order to change magisterial districts, precinct boundaries and polling-place assignments to align some precincts with municipal boundaries and reduce the number of ballot styles voters receive. County Clerk Brian Wood explained the changes and warned residents about new state voter ID rules.
The changes stem from the City of Hurricane choosing to "piggyback on our county ballot," which created precincts that crossed city limits, Wood said. The order isolates voters inside Hurricane city limits from those outside so each voter receives the correct municipal and county ballot styles.
The move also reconfigures the county’s magisterial districts to mirror state delegate districts in several areas. "What this does is less ballot styles, so it's less cost with programming," Wood said, adding that the redraw should make it easier for voters and potential candidates to know their district.
The order assigns some remote precincts to different polling sites to improve accessibility and staffing. Wood described changes intended to reduce travel for voters and to make it easier to find poll workers: precincts serving the Heizer Creek area would vote at Poca Middle School and the precincts that had used Thomas's grocery store would vote at Poca High School; the polling place that used Bush's store would be merged with Fire Station 34 because of accessibility issues at the store.
Commissioners moved to adopt the order and the motion passed with a voice vote. The signed order defines precincts by census blocks and directs county staff to implement the polling-place changes.
Separately, Wood told the public that the state legislature recently changed voter ID requirements. "There are certain IDs ... you need to have a government-issued photo ID," he said, and he urged registered voters to contact the county clerk's office or visit the tax office for information or to obtain a county photo ID for voting purposes. He also relayed a change adopted by the state Republican executive committee that will restrict participation in Republican primaries by independent or unaffiliated voters.
The clerk said the redistricting and notice process followed required public-notice procedures and that no residents appeared at a prior meeting to object. He invited questions before the commission voted.
