31 precincts and 28 polling places will reopen in Douglas County for the November general election.
The Douglas County Election Commission’s revised plan for voting locations was approved last week by the Secretary of State’s office. The number of polling places available during May’s primary election was 185, down from 364, due to redistricting. Voter advocacy groups protested the changes, and the Commission held public meetings on the polling place closures.
Election Commissioner Dave Phipps says public input was instrumental in shaping the revised plan. “There are times where we thought, well, this building would be better, but people in that area said well, actually, this area, even if it’s a little bit further away, would be a better location to use instead of the one we originally tried to do.”
Phipps says he knows not all voters will be pleased with the changes. But he says the Election Commission did make an effort to involve the community in the new plan.
Douglas County voters will receive new registration cards, along with an early voting ballot request form. More information is available at www.votedouglascounty.com.
Sarpy and Lancaster Counties also had fewer polling places and precincts in May.