The Board of Supervisors approved changes to voting precinct and justice court precinct lines to reflect development, population growth, and workload in the Maricopa County Justice Courts. Not surprisingly, the western and southeast regions of the County saw the greatest growth in the past five years and required changes in precincts line to accommodate that growth.
Voting precincts are the smallest building block for elections and usually have about 5,000 voters. Voting precincts affect ballot design, candidates, and in-person voting so it is important to make sure the lines incorporate neighborhoods while not running through the middle of new homes and buildings. This resulted in 136 total changes and the addition of 84 precincts for a total number of 832.
“We held public meetings in all five of our districts and received feedback through the website that was helpful,” said Chairman Jack Sellers, District 1. “The Justice Courts measured their case numbers pre-pandemic and then worked with our Elections Department to redraw those district lines.”
Judges Keith Russel and Anna Huberman explained in their presentation that A.R.S. § 22-125 sets the workload of the court at no more than 1,200 judicial productivity credits. Two of the Justice precincts, Manistee and Country Meadows, have been exceeding that limit. The approved plan attempts to keep the case average between 800 to 1,000 while maintaining the home precinct in the 26 districts.
The new precinct lines go into effect in January 2022. More changes may be required after the Independent Redistricting Committee updates Legislative and Congressional district lines.
For more information: https://recorder.maricopa.gov/reprecincting/