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Committee backs consolidation of some polling locations, sends plan to City Council
Summary
The committee approved an order to consolidate several polling precincts (including moving double precincts to City Hall or other consolidated locations) and forwarded the proposal to the City Council; staff will notify affected voters by postcard and continue mail‑in voting options.
The Development and Governmental Relations Committee voted June 2 to approve an order sending a plan to the City Council that would consolidate several polling precincts into single locations for administrative efficiency and cost savings.
Councilor Jourdain described the proposal: move Ward 1A and 1B to City Hall (consolidating the double precinct), relocate 2A to Falsetti Towers to pair with 2B, and combine Ward 5 precincts at McMahon School. City Clerk Brenna Murphy told the committee consolidation would reduce the number of required wardens and police details on many election days, produce cost savings and ease logistics for election staffing and storage. She said some elections would still require two wardens for larger turnout (for example, presidential elections) but that several municipal elections do not.
Murphy emphasized voter notification and outreach: the clerk’s office would send bilingual postcards (English/Spanish) to affected voters listing new polling locations and upcoming election dates; the office would also include information about mail‑in voting and where to find applications. “We could put something along the lines of that this is, your new voting location going forward unless you hear otherwise,” Murphy said.
Several councilors voiced concern about accessibility and turnout for older or mobility‑limited voters if locations moved; committee members said consolidation could be tried as a pilot and reversed if turnout declined unacceptably. The committee approved sending the consolidation plan to the City Council and asked staff to monitor November turnout and report back.
Ending: The City Clerk’s office will prepare notifications and a timeline for implementation; the committee encouraged a trial period and suggested using pilot savings to consider modest poll worker pay increases.
