County consolidates polling sites

by The Western News
| April 25, 2014 10:51 AM

Lincoln County has adjusted its voting precincts and consolidated polling places.

State legislative districts changed and, as a result, the county had to realign its precincts to match the new boundaries. In addition, counties around the state are combining polling places in an effort to save money.

Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder Tammy Lauer said consolidated polling places is an effort to reduce costs and make voting more efficient.

Lincoln County previously had 14 precincts, with voters casting ballots at 12 polling places. The polling places have been reduced to seven.

Some of the cost savings come from reducing the number of Automark voting machines, which are required at each polling place. The cost for the machines is $2,000 each and maintenance costs about $4,000 per year.

Just reducing that number will save a great deal of taxpayer dollars each year, said Lauer.

All voters in Lincoln County will be receiving a new voter registration card in the mail and a letter explaining where to vote.

There will be no changes for Troy and McCormick voters.

Changes:

North Lincoln County: Fortine and Trego will now vote at the Fortine-Trego-Stryker Volunteer Fire Department building. All Eureka residents will be voting at the Eureka 1st Church of God youth center.

South Lincoln County: The biggest change is in the Happy’s Inn area. Most of the voters in the area already vote by mail. Therefore, those voters have been moved to Libby.

Yaak precinct No. 5: Voting is moving to the Yaak Fire Hall because of a better access for handicap voters and the availability of a telephone.

Libby: Voters will now vote at the VFW building or the Ponderosa Room at City Hall. The precincts will still be separated in the rooms. Precincts 10 and 11 have been voting at the VFW and will continue to do so. Precinct 13, which had been voting at Plummer School, will now vote at the VFW. Precinct 9 will continue to vote at the Ponderosa Room. Precinct 12, which previously voted at the Pioneer Center, will vote at the Ponderosa Room.