Public meeting July 23 on suggested changes to Prince William County voting precincts

Prince William County voter registration office and the Electoral Board have been working individually with the members of the Board of Supervisors to realign voting precinct boundaries, making the precincts smaller, if necessary, and establishing new precincts when the larger precincts needed to be divided. 

Locating additional facilities with adequate parking and meeting rooms to host these new precincts has been a challenge, but we have found a number of churches in our community that have been very gracious in welcoming us to their facilities, according to a news release from Diana Dutton in the voter registration office.

These proposals will go to the Board of County Supervisors on July 16 for the BOCS to set the date for a Public Hearing to discuss the proposed voting precinct changes. 

Before the Public Hearing, the Electoral Board wants interested parties to have the opportunity to review the suggested changes in a less formal setting for complete discussion. 

Those interested are invited to attend a meeting on Tuesday, July 23, beginning at 5 pm in the Old Manassas Courthouse (9248 Lee Avenue, Manassas).  There will be maps illustrating the new precincts, boundary changes in others, and the new voting locations.

When redistricting was completed in 2011 by the General Assembly in Richmond, the members of the House and Senate did not use the County’s precinct lines to create their districts.  This resulted in voting precincts being “split” between House, Senate and Congressional Districts across the County.

Staff members of the voter registration office have tried to fix some of these problems, when possible, in the realignments of the voting precincts, because these splits cause voter confusion when comparing ballots with their neighbors and friends.  They are also costly to the election process, as different ballot styles must be programmed within each precinct, Dutton said.

Contact any of the following people with questions or concerns about the upcoming meeting. 

Diana Dutton, Administrative Manager of Elections, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 703-792-6480;
Kim Brace, Acting General Registrar, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 703-792-6472;
Keith Scarborough, PWC Electoral Board Chairman, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 703-492-6245; or
Rick Hendrix, PWC Electoral Board Vice Chairman, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 703-335-5485.