SMDs 2B04 and 2B09 The District Board of Elections has proposed changes to almost every voting precinct in the city. At our October ANC2B meeting, the Executive Director presented the plan and discussed how it may impact our residents. The plan will change precinct boundaries to match Single Member District boundaries throughout the city. For residents of 2B09 the proposal is to share a voting location with those in 2B04.
You can read the full proposal from DCBOE here.
Many have concerns with the plan, including the timing of any change and how some voters may be confused about which is the correct polling place. There are, however, several positive effects of the proposal for our neighborhood:
1. Shorter lines to vote: Previously, we have voted in the same location with four or five other SMDs and lines were dependably long. Under the proposal, 2B09 would share a voting location with only residents of 2B04.
2. For many, a shorter walk to vote: The proposal right now is to vote at the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church at 15th and R. For many, this would mean a shorter a walk to vote, while for others it would be slightly longer. Either way, the maximum distance is shortened from five blocks to four.
3. Leaving the Reeves Center for good: Saying goodbye to a location that required photo ID and a security checkpoint to vote is a win for our neighborhood and for civil liberties.
4. Cost savings to the city: the DCBOE claims the proposal will save approximately $80,000 in ballot printing costs per general election.
So what do you think? We have another month to submit comments and I’d love to hear from you about how the plan may impact you and your neighbors. In addition, we can request a different polling place if the Fifteenth Street Church is too inconvenient – what might be better? Let me know!
You can read the full proposal from DCBOE here.
Many have concerns with the plan, including the timing of any change and how some voters may be confused about which is the correct polling place. There are, however, several positive effects of the proposal for our neighborhood:
1. Shorter lines to vote: Previously, we have voted in the same location with four or five other SMDs and lines were dependably long. Under the proposal, 2B09 would share a voting location with only residents of 2B04.
2. For many, a shorter walk to vote: The proposal right now is to vote at the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church at 15th and R. For many, this would mean a shorter a walk to vote, while for others it would be slightly longer. Either way, the maximum distance is shortened from five blocks to four.
3. Leaving the Reeves Center for good: Saying goodbye to a location that required photo ID and a security checkpoint to vote is a win for our neighborhood and for civil liberties.
4. Cost savings to the city: the DCBOE claims the proposal will save approximately $80,000 in ballot printing costs per general election.
So what do you think? We have another month to submit comments and I’d love to hear from you about how the plan may impact you and your neighbors. In addition, we can request a different polling place if the Fifteenth Street Church is too inconvenient – what might be better? Let me know!
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