PORT ANGELES — Clallam County has consolidated its 95 voter precincts to 67 as part of its decennial redistricting process.
County Auditor Patty Rosand said the move will save at least $3,000 in printing costs for each county-wide election.
“And that doesn’t include what we would save in sorting and administration costs within our department,” Rosand told three commissioners last week.
Last year, a redistricting commission adjusted boundary lines for the commissioner districts based on 2010 Census data. Consolidation of the precincts won’t affect those boundaries.
A resolution commissioners approved last week on the issue was rescinded Tuesday and replaced to correct two discrepancies in precinct boundaries discovered after the vote.
Clallam County Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mark Nichols said the process to replace the resolution was “beyond transparent” to perfect the record.
New numbers
Everyone living in Port Angeles, Sequim and Forks, and some in unincorporated parts of the county, will get a new precinct number. Mailers will go out to affected voters, Rosand said.
A state law allows up to 1,500 voters in a precinct, up from a previous limit of 900.
Clallam County will have seven precincts with more than 1,000 registered voters. The smallest will have about 200, up from a previous low of 44.
Rosand said 95 precincts was “an awful lot for a county for our size.”
Port Angeles precincts, previously numbered from 1 to 26, have been re-numbered as 101 to 113.
Sequim precincts 1 through 6 are now numbered 401 to 406. Forks precincts 1 through 5 are now numbered 301 and 302.
The new precincts will be in effect for this year’s primary and general elections. They will be layered on the official county map.
“County commissioner districts, cities, schools, hospital, fire, water, PUD and park and recreation districts had to be looked at when making the decision on where to draw lines,” Rosand said
Concerns raised by an Eastern Washington resident prompted some county auditors, including Clallam’s, to extend precinct lines to international boundaries.
Port Angeles Harbor and Ediz Hook, for example, will be part of Port Angeles precinct 111. Thus, a person living on a boat in Port Angeles Harbor would be eligible to vote.
Rosand thanked Election Supervisor Shoona Radon, Voter Registration Coordinator Julie Ridgway and Election Assistant Shannon Cosgrove for their efforts on the project.
“New precinct maps and legal descriptions were created by Susan Lundstedt,” Rosand added.
“She also created shape files that will be a precinct layer on our GIS maps available on the county website.”
Republican and Democratic party representatives also were invited to give input on the creation of the precinct lines, she said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
