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 payroll costs for election-day workers while increasing the number of workers assigned to each remaining polling place. That, officials said, should keep lines and wait times manageable even as precincts grow.

Key details and local impact

- School sites: The plan exits all but one school building as polling sites; Cooper School remains as a polling host only if its administrators continue to consent. The clerk said the Dyer Center (a non-student building) also remains in the plan. The city will continue to seek alternative non-school hosts and could change host assignments if a suitable site becomes available.

- Number of precincts and voter counts: Councilmembers described the new configuration as precincts numbered 1–17 and 28 (18 total). Pro Tem Sampey and the clerk said many precincts will have substantially larger assigned voter rolls; for example, Cooper School may be assigned a much larger share of voters. The clerk cautioned that assigned numbers are not the same as projected foot traffic on election day because many voters use early in-person or no-reason absentee voting.

- Staffing and pay: The clerk said the plan raises the number of election workers per precinct (from four to six, according to council discussion) and proposes higher host stipends and inspector pay. The clerk said the city plans to offer non-government host sites $600 per precinct per election (current payment is $250), and described an estimated outlay tied to the host stipend plan. The clerk also mentioned an increase in inspector compensation as part of the plan.

Public comment and responses

During the hearing, Holiday Park residents and precinct leaders asked the council to keep the Holiday Park Clubhouse as a polling location. "The precinct is not proposed to be moved away from the clubhouse location," Clerk LeBlanc told the council; he said Holiday Park would remain a host site but that assigned voter rolls for that precinct would increase.

Precinct delegate Michael Warren spoke for Precinct 28 and supported keeping that site. "It's very central to our voters there," Warren said, noting the precinct’s 2,833 registered voters and saying the current location helped turnout.

Council action and next steps

Councilwoman Baumann moved approval of the realignment plan; Councilman Wishart seconded. Clerk LeBlanc conducted a roll call; the council voted unanimously in favor with one member absent (Councilman Hart excused). The clerk said the city must notify the state by the coming month to meet statutory timelines, and the plan will be used for the August election if a primary is held.

The clerk and council said the election office will communicate precinct and voting-site changes to voters ahead of the next elections. The clerk also said the election office will monitor turnout, wait times and the precinct configuration and will consider operational adjustments — including dual poll books or other state-authorized processing changes — if particular precincts experience unexpected congestion.

Provenance: This article summarizes the clerk’s presentation, public testimony from Holiday Park and Precinct 28, council discussion, and the roll-call vote to adopt the plan.

Ending: With a unanimous vote, the council approved the plan and directed the clerk’s office to proceed with state notification and voter outreach; the clerk said the city will continue seeking non-school host sites and monitoring precinct operations going forward.