Grand Rapids commission advances plan to reduce precincts from 74 to 59 despite access concerns

The Grand Rapids City Commission voted to publish and set a date to consider an ordinance that would change the city's voting precincts, moving the process forward without final adoption. The proposal would change the ordinance that currently references the number of precincts and would reduce the number of voting sites from 74 to 59.

Commissioner Perdue opposed advancing the change and said she believes the plan "will actually reduce voter access in the city of Grand Rapids," noting the proposal would eliminate 15 precincts in total and fully remove six voting sites. "This is the last opportunity for you all to reconsider," Perdue said, urging colleagues and the public to press for retention of the six sites she identified as at-risk.

Why it matters: The city cited changes in state law and voting patterns since the 2018 and 2022 constitutional amendments (including no-reason absentee voting and expanded early voting) as part of the rationale for reconfiguring polling places. Supporters said consolidation can reduce duplicate lines at single locations and increase efficiency; opponents warned larger precincts or eliminated sites could make it harder for residents to vote on election day.

City Clerk's role and next steps: The city clerk explained that the election commission draws precinct boundaries and the city commission approves polling locations. The ordinance change before the commission would set the base number of precincts (the proposal replaces the number "74" in the ordinance with "59"). The clerk and staff committed to provide follow-up data requested by commissioners, including counts of registered voters per proposed precinct and the number of residents whose polling place would change under the plan. The clerk noted these items can be adjusted later: "If you decide to move it to 65, we can move it to 65," the clerk said, emphasizing that boundary lines will be drawn by the election commission.

Public and commission discussion: Commissioners and the public voiced competing priorities. Supporters, including several commissioners, emphasized that legislative changes have expanded early and absentee voting and that consolidating polling locations can eliminate duplicate lines where two precincts currently share a facility. Commissioner Belcek and others said the clerk's office has worked to make sites more accessible and that the plan can be revised before final adoption. Commissioner Rollins called the clerk "one of the highest accoladed city clerks in the entire country" and urged the public to review the proposal and the data staff will provide.

Outcome: The commission voted to publish the proposed ordinance and set it for consideration at a later meeting. The vote advanced the ordinance process; it was not a final adoption of new precinct boundaries. Commissioner Perdue was the noted dissenting voice during debate and said she would vote no to moving the ordinance forward.

What remains: The election commission will draw precinct boundaries within the numeric limit set by any future ordinance, and the city commission will later consider and vote on the final ordinance and polling locations. Staff said written public comments on the plan and requested data will be provided to commissioners before the final vote.