Elections committee to draft resolution opposing state bill to enlarge precincts; reprecincting committee recommends splitting eight precincts

The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections’ Legislative Affairs Committee told the board it will draft a resolution opposing a state senate bill that would increase maximum precinct size and allow collocation of precincts at voting locations.

The committee reviewed H.4350, introduced by Representative Herb Kirshman (as referenced in committee discussion), which the committee said had moved through the House and appeared on a fast track; the committee also discussed S.36, a senate bill that would increase the statutory precinct size cap from 1,500 to 3,000 voters and give county boards discretion to collocate precincts at single voting centers on election day. The committee stated it does not support S.36 and prefers to retain the existing 1,500‑voter guideline to help ensure more, smaller polling locations and to keep voters voting within their communities on election day.

Why it matters: Raising precinct size and allowing collocated voting centers would change how Beaufort County finds polling locations and could require consolidation of precincts; the committee argued that retaining smaller precinct sizes eases the search for accessible polling locations and preserves community‑based voting on election day.

Key points - H.4350: Committee discussion noted the bill was filed April 10, had passed first reading in the House and was reported to be proceeding through subsequent readings; the committee said the bill, if enacted as discussed in committee, would be effective Jan. 1, 2026 and that current voter counts in county precincts would be brought into compliance with the law as drafted. - S.36: Committee members said the committee does not support this senate bill because a 3,000‑voter precinct is harder to site for a single polling location and because voters generally prefer neighborhood voting sites over larger voting centers that serve multiple precincts. - Committee action: the Legislative Affairs Committee agreed to draft a resolution reflecting the committee’s position on S.36 for full board review at a future meeting. - Reprecincting: the county reprecincting (redistricting) committee reported it reached consensus on a charter and recommended splitting eight precincts to comply with statutory requirements; the redlined charter and committee comments will return to the rules committee and to the full committee for further review.

Next steps: the Legislative Affairs Committee will prepare a draft resolution for board consideration, and the redistricting/reprecincting committee will continue to refine its charter and proposed precinct splits for later board action.