Carbon County to shift polling places

By Chris Parker

The Morning Call

March 14, 2008

Voters in four Carbon County townships will cast ballots for a new president in November in new polling places.

The county is restructuring precincts in East Penn, Lower Towamensing and Penn Forest townships and the south side of Towamensing township because the number of voters has grown.

On Thursday, county commissioners accepted the offers of organizations and officials in each municipality to provide polling places.

In East Penn, residents of both proposed precincts, Districts 7 and 8, will vote at the township Social Hall on Blue Mountain Road in Ashfield .

In Lower Towamensing, the Aquashicola Fire Company at 270 Little Gap Road will serve as the polling place for both proposed voting precincts, Districts 32 and 33.

In Towamensing, voters in the proposed precinct District 57-2 (South 2), will go to Palmerton Rod and Gun Club at 245 Gunclub Road.

In Penn Forest, voters in the proposed precinct, District 51-4 (Penn Forest Township-Northeast) will cast ballots at the offices of Towamensing Trails Property Owners Association, 44 Towamensing Trail.

County Elections Chief Kenneth Leffler said that, during the April 22 primary election, maps of the planned locations for November will be displayed at current polling places for voters to see.

New voter identification cards that include the change have been sent out, he said.

Commissioners also authorized Leffler to submit the redistricting plans to the state Department of State for review before they are given to county court for approval.

Leffler said he expects public hearings on the redistricting to be held this summer. The changes must be in place by Sept. 4 -- 60 days before the November election.

Commissioners approved the plan Feb. 14.

If the court approves the changes, East Penn, Lower Towamensing and Towamensing will go from one precinct to two and Penn Forest will go from two precincts to five.

The state requires the voting districts to be split roughly along U.S. Census block lines.

The state election code recommends no more than 1,200 registered voters in each precinct, but the population has grown in the four townships to the point where voters were standing in line for more than an hour, he said.

East Penn has grown from 1,262 voters in 2000 to 1,714; Lower Towamensing went from 1,507 to 1,739; and the south side of Towamensing went from 1,424 to 1,682. Penn Forest Township jumped from 3,917 to 5,368.

Commissioners last October paid BonData of Dauphin County $10,000 to help with the redistricting. The total cost of the change is expected to be about $80,000, Commissioner Chairman William O'Gurek has said.

The price tag is $55,000 for 15 new voting machines. Leffler said about $25,000 in federal grants are available to help offset the cost.

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