Voter cards reflect new city ward lines
Published 7:00 pm Sunday, March 31, 2013
Some Brookhaven voters may be checking their mail only to discover they now live in a different city ward.
Officials in charge of upcoming municipal elections in Brookhaven have taken steps to mail each city voter a new voter registration card.
Cards were mailed out last week.
For some residents, the registration cards won’t be any different than before. Others will discover that they now reside in a new city ward and, therefore, vote at a new precinct.
City leaders were required by law to redraw ward lines ahead of this year’s elections to equalize Brookhaven’s population across each of the city’s six wards.
Residents of what previously was the northern part of Ward Five can now count themselves residents of Ward Six. Much of the southern part of Ward Two was moved into Ward Three. However, Ward Two now includes some areas near the middle of town that previously were within the Ward Six boundaries.
There was minor shuffling of streets between the boundaries of the other wards, but no other large alternations.
Only registered voters will receive the updated information.
City residents that aren’t registered voters but wish to participate in this year’s party primaries and the general election face several upcoming deadlines: To participate in party primaries scheduled for May 7, residents must register to vote by April 6; to vote only in the June 4 general elections, residents must register to vote by May 4.
Citizens with any questions about their updated voter registration card or polling location should contact the City Clerk’s Office.
“We want to make sure that every voter gets to vote in the upcoming election in the proper polling place,” wrote City Clerk Mike Jinks in a letter enclosed with the updated registration cards.