HomeMy WebLinkAbout032822ca02 AR res for PrecinctsJEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
Mark McCauley, Interim County Administrator
FROM: Heidi Eisenhour, Commissioner
Quinn Grewell, Elections Coordinator
Kevin Hitchcock, GIS Coordinator
DATE: March 28, 2022
SUBJECT: Resolution to Adopt Precinct Boundary Changes for Jefferson County as
part of the Current Redistricting Process
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
In accordance with Washington State Law, RCW 29A.16.040, RCW 29A.16.050 requires that precinct
boundaries be adjusted in response to the decennial census and/or the limitations on the maximum
number of active registered voters per precinct.
ANALYSIS:
In updating precincts, we adhered to guidance from the Washington State Secretary of State:
(a) A precinct cannot straddle congressional, legislative or county commissioner district lines.
(b) A precinct cannot straddle a city or town boundary.
(c) By state law, a precinct may not contain more than 1,500 active voters. None of ours do.
(d) Precincts should be contiguous (no gaps or holes) and compact in shape.
(e) Precinct lines should follow visible physical features (roadways, waterways, power lines, etc.) and
boundaries of local jurisdictions
In addition to this guidance, and based on input received from the parties, public and commissioners, the
overall number of precincts was reduced from thirty-nine to thirty-seven; small precincts were consolidated,
large precincts were split and new precincts were created to reduce the number of voters in adjacent
precincts. Furthermore, the precinct numbering sequence was changed from a three -digit to a four -digit
numbering scheme.
Activities to date:
January 27, 2022 Held a roundtable with Republican and Democratic Party leaders to solicit priorities for
updated precinct boundaries.
February 28 Updated precinct boundaries made public via the Jefferson County website and
roundtable attendees notified.
March 7 Public hearing on updated Jefferson County precinct boundaries.
March 14 Continued Deliberation for Commissioner input
March 21 Final deliberation and adoption updated precinct boundaries by Commissioners.
March 28 Adopt and sign resolution
May 2 Deadline for county legislative authorities to adopt precinct boundary changes,
including changes to accommodate new district lines, for the 2022 election cycle (RCW
29A.16.040)
FISCAL IMPACT:
New Voter ID Cards will need to be mailed out to all registered voters. Printing, outsourcing and
postage will cost $16,000.00 (this does not include staff time for the Jefferson County Auditor's
Office).
RECOMMENDATION:
Adopt the new 2022 voting precinct lines as drawn.
REVIEWED BY:
i
Mark McCauleyUnterim County Administra r Date
STATE OF WASHINGTON
COUNTY OF JEFFERSON
ADOPTION OF REVISED VOTING} Resolution No. - 22
PRECINCT BOUNDARY PLAN)
WHEREAS, Washington State Law, RCW 29A.16.040, RCW 29A.16.050 requires that
precinct boundaries be adjusted in response to the decennial census and or the limitations on the
maximum number of active registered voters (1500); and
WHEREAS, the United State conducted the 2020 Census and made the updated population,
racial and the ethnicity data available to Washington State and local jurisdictions; and
WHEREAS, adhering to the criteria as outline in RCW 29A.16 each precinct must be entirely
within a single: Congressional district, State Legislative district, County legislative district, City.
Physically, a precinct must (as nearly as practicable) be: Contiguous or "touching" — A single
precinct may not be made up of separate parts; Compact - For instance, precincts should not be long,
narrow, or have parts that significantly extend beyond the main precinct body. Use visible physical
features to describe precinct boundaries such as: Streets, Power lines, Bodies of water, Ridges.
Precincts cannot exceed 1,500 active registered voters; and
WHEREAS, in addition to this guidance as part of the Jefferson County re -districting process
and to consolidate small precincts, split and create new precincts to reduce the number of voters in
each precinct along with guidance and input from the public, political parties, and County
Commissioner; and
WHEREAS, the precinct numbering sequence was changed from a three -digit to a four -digit
numbering scheme. The first number in the sequence represents the commissioner district, the second
digit to represent the city/region and the third and fourth number as identifier numbers to create a
unique number for each precinct.
WHEREAS, the number of precincts was reduced from thirty-nine to thirty-seven; and
WHEREAS, these adjustments require that the precincts within Commissioner District No. 1
need to be amended to reflect twelve total precincts, eleven within the city limits of Port Townsend
and 1 just outside; and
WHEREAS, these adjustments require that the precincts within Commissioner District No. 2
need to be amended to reflect twelve total precincts; and
WHEREAS, these adjustments require that the precincts within Commissioner District No. 3
need to be amended to reflect thirteen total precincts.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Jefferson County Board of County
Commissioners hereby approve and adopt the precinct boundaries and shall be effective no later than
May 2, 2022, pursuant to RCW 29A.16.040, which states that no precinct changes may be made
during the period starting fourteen days prior to the first day for candidates to file for the primary
election and ending with the day of the general election.
ADOPTED this day of , 2022
SEAL:
ATTEST:
Carolyn Gallaway, Clerk of the Board
JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Heidi Eisenhour, Chair
Greg Brotherton, Member
Kate Dean, Member