Plan to change voting precincts becoming political, racial
- tchitwood@ledger- enquirer.com
What began as a nonpartisan plan to consolidate some Columbus voting precincts now is becoming increasingly political.
Isaiah Hugley, the Columbus city manager who is married to Democratic state representative Carolyn Hugley, and his sister Pat Hugley-Green, a school board member, are among a network of local black leaders who have expressed opposition to cutting the number of voting precincts to 28 from 48.
Now white conservatives are coming out in favor of the precinct changes — including Republican Josh McKoon, this year a candidate for Georgia Senate District 29, and Jerry Luquire of the Georgia Christian Coalition.
Both sides will get to express their views today as the Muscogee County Board of Elections and Registrations hosts a public meeting on the poll changes from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Columbus Public Library, 3000 Macon Road.
On Wednesday, the elections board had received written feedback from about 30 residents since a Feb. 4 meeting at which it delayed approving the poll changes. Those changes have been in the works since December 2008, when the Muscogee County School District asked election supervisors to move polls from five elementary schools for reasons of student security and voter access.
Several black leaders complained they did not know about the poll consolidation, though it was reported in the Ledger-Enquirer and recorded in the minutes of election board meetings, which are forwarded to Columbus Council.
One reason the proposed changes made the news was that the school district did an about-face in 2009 and asked that polls remain in schools for a September school sales tax vote. That postponed the changes until this year.
“This should not be a surprise to anyone,” McKoon said Wednesday. “This is something that has been discussed in public meetings since early 2009. … The school district requested that this be put on hold, after telling the elections board to get out of the schools for what I think are some very good reasons.”
Because polls in schools must be open to voters on Election Day, the school cannot go on “lockdown” if students are threatened.
“Frankly, something that I’ve been concerned about is when you open the schools up to any adult coming onto those premises, I think you’re making an invitation to people who might want to victimize children,” McKoon said.
Beyond saving money — keeping all 48 precincts running this election year is expected to cost $645,000 — the elections board wanted to consolidate polls because more voters now are casting ballots in advance of election day, further reducing the one-day turnout.
Others against poll consolidation are Ed DuBose and Marcus Hunter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Muscogee Marshal Greg Countryman and State Court Solicitor Ben Richardson. Those opposing the consolidation plan have told election board members that it could discourage elderly black voters, and the board should have considered that. Three of the elections board’s five members are older, black women.
The elections board so far has received 12 letters or e-mails favoring the change, 11 of them form letters. It has been given one petition bearing nine names in opposition and received three letters in opposition from residents who occupy no public office. One of those came from Jeanne Dugas, who chairs the Muscogee County Democratic Party.
Among the other opponents who have written the board are Isaiah Hugley, whose e-mail requested the board withdraw the poll consolidation request that already has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice; Pat Hugley-Green, who in one e-mail suggested the board consider several other poll changes and in another said Carolyn Hugley wants the board to form a “citizens advisory committee” on the matter; and school board member Naomi Buckner, who wrote that she votes at Belvedere, which was to merge with the St. John AME Church precinct on Steam Mill Road, and she’d rather it go to St. James Church on Northstar Drive.
Isaiah Hugley also wrote that the board should “explore other locations for possible voting precincts,” adding: “I will be happy to have appropriate staff assist in this effort.”
Powered by