Westland Council approves precinct realignment to exit most school polling sites; plan effective this year

The Westland City Council unanimously approved a precinct realignment plan Tuesday that will reduce the number of polling sites, remove most polling locations from school buildings and increase the number of election workers at each remaining precinct.

Clerk LeBlanc, presenting the plan at a public hearing, said the city’s primary goal was to exit school buildings as precinct hosts. "Our goal with this precinct realignment strategy is primarily to exit school buildings," the clerk said, adding the plan had been designed to reduce equipment, tabulators and host sites while centralizing off-site election administration.

The clerk told the council the plan would be effective for an August election if one occurs, and otherwise would be in force for elections later this year once the state is notified. "If you approve it as a collective body today, it will be effective for the August election, assuming there is an August election," the clerk said.

Why it matters: Council members and election staff said school safety, staff efficiencies and cost savings drove the proposal. The clerk said consolidating precincts would reduce the city’s…