Hutchinson County approves combined precincts, moves several polling sites to county buildings
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Summary
The commissioners approved combining precincts for upcoming elections to align early-voting sites with election-day polling locations under House Bill 2753, moving several precincts to county buildings and promising outreach to affected voters.
Unidentified Speaker 8, an elections staff member, told the Hutchinson County Commissioners Court the county should combine precincts for larger elections to comply with recent state changes and to streamline voting locations. "With the new house still 2753, you have to use your 3 early voting polling locations as your election day polling locations as well," Speaker 8 said, explaining the legal and operational reasons for the change.
The court discussed specific relocations: combined Precincts 33 and 42 will move from Borger ISD to the Hutchinson County Annex Building; Precinct 21 will be held at the Fritch Library Community Building; Precincts 14 and 23 will remain at Fairlines Baptist; Grace Fellowship will host Precinct 11; and Precincts 31 and 41 will be at the courthouse. Officials cited county buildings' reliable Wi‑Fi, maintenance support, generators and security as reasons for the moves.
Commissioners acknowledged access concerns for remote communities. Speaker 8 said she had discussed the change with community members in Holt and reported they "completely understand" and that many voters use early voting. Commissioners said they would produce signage, social-media and newspaper notices and provide phone-based guidance; one commissioner asked staff to ensure the changes would not remove access for voters who rely on local community buildings.
The court voted to approve the combined precincts for the March election and agreed the presentation would be repeated annually. The approval was recorded by voice vote; the motion was made by Speaker 5 and seconded (no roll-call tally provided). The court directed staff to begin public outreach to notify voters of the new locations and schedules.
Next steps: election staff will publish the polling-location changes and the list of early-voting hours, and will provide phone support for affected voters. No legal challenge or formal objection was recorded during the meeting.