THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE STORY BY JENNIFER BAILEY
DANVILLE — As November’s election inches closer, some Danville voters received new registration cards in the mail this month, not even a year since their last, with another change to their polling place.
Danville Election Commission Executive Director Sandy Delhaye said after Census and ward redistricting caused some precincts to be moved to First Church of the Nazarene, 2212 N. Vermilion St., last year, “that facility really could not hold all the voters we moved.”
Many voters who were moved there voiced their opinions to Delhaye during the March primary, asking what her agency was thinking and complaining that parking was terrible.
Delhaye said she brought the issue before the commission, and it was decided to move precincts 1 and 5 back to Crossroads Christian Church and Harrison Park Clubhouse, respectively.
The precinct changes affect about 1,200 voters, according to election commission officials.
Due to the 2020 Census and ward redistricting the Danville City Council approved in 2022, the Danville Election Commission last year reduced the city’s precincts by seven and polling places by four.
The election commission decided to no longer use the following polling locations: Second Baptist Church, 940 N. Franklin St.; the Boys & Girls Club, 850 N. Griffin St.; the Danville Public Works Facility, 1155 E. Voorhees St.; and Vermilion Heights Christian Church, 725 Oakwood Ave.
There are now 22 precincts instead of 32.
Under the changes to the city’s ward map, about 3,079 residents were moved to different wards to equalize the population of each ward. Ward 2 in the southern part of the city saw the biggest population loss.
The polling-place changes also assisted the election commission financially, as that requires fewer polling places, equipment and election judges. Technology, too, has allowed changes.
The office is getting ready for a busy election season later this year.
Upcoming election dates are as follows:
- Election Day is Nov. 5.
- The first day vote-by-mail applications will be accepted is Aug. 7. The first day ballots can be mailed to voters is Sept. 26.
- Early voting runs from Sept. 26 to Nov. 4.
- Grace-period voting runs from Oct. 9 to Nov. 5.
- Voter registration is closed between Oct. 8 and Nov. 8.
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