Lycoming County board approves five polling‑place changes and will refile petition to consolidate Muncie precincts

The Lycoming County Board of Elections on Jan. 21 approved five polling‑place changes prompted by accessibility improvements and recent facility closures, and agreed to refile a petition in the Court of Common Pleas to consolidate two precincts in Muncie Borough.

Elections staff reviewed each proposed change and told the board the moves respond to accessibility work required under a Department of Justice action and to several locations becoming unavailable. The approved changes were:

- Bastress Township: move polling place to Immaculate Conception Church parish hall, 5931 Jacks Hollow Road. - Jackson Township: move polling place to the Jackson Township building, 824 Blockhouse Road. - Montoursville Borough, First Ward: designate the Borough Building as the First Ward polling place (relocated from a closing church). - Montoursville Borough, Third Ward: designate Faith United Methodist Church as the Third Ward polling place. - Williamsport, Ward 7: move polling place to Saint John's Newberry United Methodist Church, 2101 Newberry Street.

Staff said voters in affected precincts will receive mailed notices, the voter services website will be updated, and legal advertising will reflect the changes. "When these changes are made, we update the voter services website. It'll be reflected in legal advertising for the election. There will also be notices that go out to every house in each affected precinct," elections staff said.

Separately, the board agreed to refile a petition asking the Court of Common Pleas to consolidate Muncie Borough's two precincts, a step staff said could ease operations and reduce confusion produced by colocating the two precincts at opposite ends of a gymnasium. The consolidation would create a precinct larger than 1,200 registered voters, so staff said the petition must show good cause; the petition will be updated with current voter‑registration numbers before it is refiled.

“We had to put these two places together in one accessible facility,” elections staff said, arguing that larger precincts in other parts of the county operate successfully and that mail voting (Act 77) has reduced in‑person turnout, making the 1,200 threshold less problematic. Charlie Hall, Muncie Borough manager, had earlier told the board that consolidating the two precincts would "eliminate confusion, duplication, and the size requirement."

The board approved the polling‑place changes and the motion to refile the consolidation petition. Staff said the final petition will be reviewed by the county solicitor prior to filing and that the filing will include current registration figures.