Now that the legislature in Columbus has finished deciding how Lawrence County will be split between the state and federal election districts, the task of redrawing precincts is at hand.

Clearly a single precinct cannot contain two different districts at any level, including townships. This is the first constraint that must be followed.

The second is the new requirement for minimal sized units in urban areas; rural areas are exempt from this requirement but encouraged to follow it.

In Lawrence County that makes sense, some townships might not be able to make the required number and thus the district provision could not be met.

As changes in population distribution have occurred, the various precincts have become quite unbalanced in actual and voting populations.

This may not seem to be a serious concern for the voting public, but it is.

In the last year there have been two situations where retirement or election to another office have left vacancies that have to be filled on an interim basis.

The selection of the replacement is left to the officers of precincts in the affected jurisdiction who belong to the party with which the departing elected official was affiliated.

If the precincts are of vastly different sizes there is a significant unequal representation of the population, which could result in precincts with low numbers being overly powerful. Thus, the necessity of making the precincts as nearly equal in size as possible is a serious matter.

The minimal size requirement will also require a reduction in the total number of precincts in the county.

This should result in significant savings to the Board of Elections when paying for poll workers and polling places. The more equal distribution of numbers should also reduce the differences in waiting times for voters who go to the polls.

When the realignment is done, the county should benefit.

The Tribune could be of great assistance to county residents by publishing the current number of voters and residents in each precinct so that variations in numbers become apparent to all and a better distribution of voters is assured.

Jo Huff

Chesapeake