(Boise, ID) – Today, the Board of Commissioners approved new voting precinct and Commissioner district boundaries for Ada County.

 

The redrawing of voter precincts follows the Commission on Reapportionment’s establishment of new Congressional and Legislative district boundaries, requiring the County to modify its precinct structure. Rapid growth in Ada County had also created a disparity in the number of voters between precincts. 

 

With the new precinct boundaries in effect, the number of Ada County voting precincts increases to just 145 from 141.  This number is in line with where the Ada County Clerk’s Office expected it to be when it began this process, given the practical and financial considerations of increasing the number of precincts. The primary goal in redrawing the district boundaries was to more evenly distribute voters per precinct. Prior to redrawing the boundaries, some large Ada County precincts had upwards of 3000 voters; today the average is around 1,400 voters per precinct.  The new boundaries will also help to eliminate confusion about polling locations, and unify some communities and neighborhoods that historically may have been awkwardly divided.  

 

“The new precincts are good for the voters of Ada County.  Some of our largest precincts are now smaller, and some of our smallest are now larger. As a result, voters should now see shorter lines and have shorter drives to polling locations,” said Chief Deputy Clerk Phil McGrane.

 

The Clerk’s Office would like to thank residents for their valuable and influential input provided at a December public open house. With the precinct boundary redrawing complete, Ada County Elections will now be focused on getting the voter database updated in time for the May Primary election.

 

In addition to the new precinct boundaries, the County Commissioner districts needed to be redrawn so they would balance out based on district population, and in keeping with the new Legislative district boundaries. This reorganization better equalizes the Commissioner districts, resulting in approximately 130,000 people per district under the new boundaries. However, this redistricting does leave the District #1 County Commissioner seat vacant for the upcoming election.

 

For more information on the new precinct boundaries, visit the Ada County Clerk’s website at www.adaweb.net/Clerk.aspx, or click here to view a map of the new precinct, Commissioner district and Legislative district boundaries.