Kootenai County commissioners direct elections staff to prepare precinct-boundary resolution after public concerns

Kootenai County commissioners on March 6 directed Elections Department staff to prepare a resolution for the March 11 business meeting proposing several precinct-boundary adjustments including dissolving court-created Precinct 523, creating a new Precinct 209, and moving small areas among Precincts 302, 303, 311, 519 and 520, elections manager Asa Gray said.

The changes are intended to remove a precinct that now contains a single registered voter, address population growth in the unincorporated Athol/Spirit Lake area while staying inside legislative district lines, and reduce the number of split ballot combinations that poll workers must manage, Gray said. "We need to dissolve court created Precinct 523, which currently has 1 registered voter prior to the next election," Gray said.

County staff presented maps and voter counts showing the projected effects. Countywide registered voters totaled 109,997 at the time of the meeting, Gray said. Under the proposal, 1,479 registered voters would change precinct numbers and 496 voters would change polling locations; new Precinct 209 would contain about 830 registered voters drawn from parts of Precincts 202 and 203. Gray also said Precinct 202 would lose about 584 registered voters, Precinct 203 about 246, Precinct 302 about 283, and Precinct 303 would increase by about 37 voters as part of several trades to rebalance numbers.

Gray told the commissioners the small Precinct 523 had been created after a court-ordered water district question placed on a previous ballot, and that leaving it in place raises logistics and voter-privacy concerns. "We have a precinct that now exists that we don't want to have existing going forward, for multiple reasons, including logistics and privacy of that person's vote," Gray said.

Staff also proposed shifting the boundary between Precincts 519 and 520 to follow a school district line and eliminate Post Falls School District ballots from Precinct 520; Gray said that change would affect six registered voters. A separate shift between Precincts 302 and 303 is intended to remove three different potential ballot splits in a small area bounded by Ramsey, Diagonal and Brunner roads; staff said three of the four split combinations in that area already exist in Precinct 303.

Public commenters raised concerns about timing and community impact. Melanie Vanderfair, a precinct committee person for Precinct 203, said she opposed removing the portion of 203 included in the proposed 209 because she has been working that area for years and believes some recent registrants were single-election voters. "I am in disagreement with the taking away of my precinct… I would appreciate it if you leave my 203 Precinct alone and leave that section in there and not create that new precinct," Vanderfair said.

Elections staff said the proposed changes would take effect upon board passage of a resolution and that affected voters and parties would be notified before the May election. Gray said the county had checked with legal counsel and that Idaho statute does not explicitly prohibit precinct redraws in odd years; staff therefore concluded it is permissible to proceed ahead of the May election so the one-voter precinct can be removed. Gray said the changes would be implemented in time for May if the board gives direction.

Commissioners gave staff direction to prepare the resolution at the end of the meeting. One commissioner said they would support bringing the resolution forward March 11 and a second commissioner agreed; no formal vote was taken at the special meeting. Staff outlined next steps: finalize the map and materials, notify affected voters and political parties, and publish updated precinct maps and polling-place information online within a few days of resolution passage.

The discussion included operational notes: most of the affected voters who change precinct numbers would not change polling places (three quarters of new 209 voters would continue to vote at Timberlake High School if they had been in Precinct 202), and voters in the 302/303 shifts would continue to use Garwood Elementary but may use different lines inside the building. Gray also noted there are about 70–80 secured (overseas/military) voters countywide who are not fully reflected in the snapshot counts.

The county will present a formal resolution adopting the new precinct map at its March 11 business meeting; staff indicated updated street-labeled maps would be posted online and distributed to party officials and precinct committee people after the board acts.