[August 05, 2011] Pettis County Clerk La Strada mulls polling place consolidation plan Tweet Jul 16, 2011 (The Sedalia Democrat - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Pettis County Clerk Nick La Strada is considering a plan to consolidate four of Sedalia's polling places in a move that could save upwards of $4,000 a year in election costs. La Strada said he and deputy clerks Terrie Close and Karen Zulig reviewed the number of votes cast in the previous nine elections -- including the high-turnout 2008 presidential election -- and found on average that vote totals in two precincts in Sedalia's Ward 1 and Ward 3 were roughly equal to the votes cast in the remaining third precincts in both wards. Based on those calculations, La Strada is looking at combining the first and second precincts in both wards. Precinct 3 in both wards would remain unchanged, La Strada said. "Making elections more efficient was a big part of what I campaigned on. A number of other counties are also looking at combining some polling places, and just based on the numbers this seems like a good way to save on costs and hopefully making polling sites more accessible," La Strada said on Thursday. With no scheduled elections until February, when Missouri voters will cast presidential preference ballots in the 2012 primary election, La Strada stressed that the plan is still tentative and encouraged voters in the affected wards to contact his office with suggestions or concerns. By example, in the 2008 presidential election in Ward 1, a combined total of 1,069 people cast ballots in precincts 1 and 2, while 957 cast their votes in Precinct 3 -- a difference of just 112 votes. Likewise, in Ward 3, 894 votes were cast in precincts 1 and 2, while 896 cast votes in Precinct 3. Similar numbers were found in successive elections, including contested municipal, county and congressional elections through the last municipal election in April. La Strada also pointed to election management in other counties, such a Benton, which has about 7,000 more registered voters than Pettis County, but who cast ballots in just 11 polling places, as compared to 25 in Pettis. La Strada also cited the close proximity of Ward 1 polling places, where Precinct 1 voters cast ballots at Convention Hall and Precinct 2 voters vote at Heber Hunt Elementary -- a distance of only four blocks. "With those precincts so close together it just makes sense to combine them at Convention Hall, which has a lot more room and better parking so it should make it easier for people to vote," La Strada said. The final location of the combined polling place in Ward 3, Precinct 1 (now located at Sedalia Middle School) and Precinct 2 (now at New Hope Baptist Church) has yet to be determined, La Strada said. Close said a complete canvass of voters will be completed after the first of the year, and new registration cards with correct polling place information will be mailed to voters. In addition to the canvass, La Strada said his office will be conducting additional voter registration drives, including one in August, with a date still to be determined. "I want the people of Pettis County to know that this office is committed to making elections more open and efficient. Anytime anyone has a problem or a concern about their vote they should call the office. We want to absolutely make sure that everyone that wants to vote can and that every vote counts," La Strada said. People who want more information on the proposed changes may call La Strada in the clerk's office at 826-5000, ext. 918, or by cell phone at 281-7767. To see more of The Sedalia Democrat or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sedaliademocrat.com. Copyright (c) 2011, The Sedalia Democrat, Sedalia, Mo. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]