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Residents and commissioners debate polling‑place access after precinct consolidation was clarified
Summary
City staff told the commission that Precinct 5 was temporarily consolidated with Precinct 6 in 2018 and permanently in 2020; residents urged reconsideration of the physical polling‑place location and called for public, open discussion rather than changing boundaries alone.
Mount Clemens residents and commissioners pressed city staff June 6 for clarity about precinct boundaries and access after some community members raised concerns about the closure of Precinct 5.
City Manager Donald E. Johnson read the clerk’s report explaining the municipal ordinance still listed eight precincts even though the city has six. He said Precinct 5 was temporarily consolidated with Precinct 6 for the 2018 elections and that a permanent consolidation took effect in 2020; notices and revised voter ID mailings accompanied the change. Johnson described the effort to compare turnout by manually mapping addresses into the qualified voter file and reported that turnout from addresses formerly in Precinct 5 increased between 2016 and 2020.
Several residents, including Eric Rick and Thomas Barnes, urged caution and urged the commission to consider transportation access before deciding on any new consolidations. “I would just urge caution,” said Eric Rick, who also encouraged the city to recruit volunteers if manpower was the issue. Barnes said the former polling location at the K Center had accessibility issues in earlier years but that conditions have improved and that any change should be made publicly and with resident input.
Commissioners discussed whether the solution is changing precinct boundaries or relocating the physical polling place (the poll). Staff estimated initial equipment costs for moving a poll — a tabulator at about $15,000 plus laptops, memory devices and mailing costs — and noted additional recurring costs for extra election workers. Commissioners agreed the city should hold more community conversations before making a change that affects predominantly lower‑income neighborhoods and that moving a polling place can be done without amending the ordinance.
The commission did not take formal action to reverse the prior consolidation during the meeting; staff said any change to a polling location would require community engagement and further study on costs and access.
