Grosse Pointe Farms approves election precinct consolidation

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — And then there were two. With fewer people casting ballots at the polls on Election Day, Grosse Pointe Farms has decided to reduce the number of voting precincts from five to two.

The Farms City Council unanimously approved an election precinct ordinance to make this change during a meeting June 16.

Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Derrick Kozicki said that with the passage of Proposal 2 in 2022, municipalities were allowed to increase the size of their precincts from a maximum of 2,999 voters to a maximum of 4,999 voters. Redrawn precinct boundaries leave the city with 4,224 voters in the new Precinct 1 and 4,502 voters in the new Precinct 2.

Kozicki said jurisdictions across Michigan are taking advantage of the change in state law to consolidate precincts.

“You save money,” Kozicki told the council. “It’s really a great opportunity to streamline elections.”

The savings come from not having to hire as many poll workers on Election Day and not having to purchase as much election equipment, Kozicki said.

Besides no-excuse absentee ballots, Michigan voters can now take advantage of the early voting period to complete their ballots before Election Day.

“Can you give us a quick overview of the voting patterns you’ve seen to indicate the precincts won’t be overwhelmed (by consolidation)?” Mayor Louis Theros asked.

Kozicki cited the most recent presidential contest. During the presidential election last November, when 78% of registered Farms voters took part, Kozicki said the number of Election Day voters averaged about one per minute over the whole day. A presidential election typically attracts the greatest voter turnout of any election.

“If there feels like there’s too much demand (at one of the precincts), we can add another computer,” Kozicki said.

He also said that the city has a couple of smaller elections before the next presidential race to see how the precinct consolidation is working.

“I think this is great,” City Councilman Neil Sroka said. “We don’t really have Election Day anymore — we have election season.”

Farms voters who do decide to cast their ballots at the polls on Election Day enjoy one big plus: All the precincts were moved to The War Memorial in February 2024, where voting takes place in the expansive ballroom, where floor-to-ceiling windows overlook Lake St. Clair.

“It’s the most beautiful precinct in the country,” City Manager Shane Reeside said.

Because all the precincts were moved to the same location, voters have less confusion about where they need to go on Election Day.