Redistricting deadline causes officials’ concern

Facing an Aug. 26 deadline, some community leaders fear that U.S. Justice Department approval of a new Terrebonne Parish district representation map might not arrive in time for voters to participate in the scheduled Oct. 22 primary elections.

“This is a real concern,” Terrebonne Parish Councilwoman Arlanda Williams said. “After it is approved, we need 45 days to outline district [precincts].”

If Justice Department approval is issued on the deadline date, the determining of precincts might not be finalized until Oct. 10, only 12 days away from a first round of casting ballots.

Williams said that if deadlines are not met, and the appropriate number of needed voting machines established, primary and general elections for Terrebonne Parish might be forced into being held as a special elections at a later date.

“Everything is going according to the timeline,” South Central Planning and Development Commission CEO Kevin Belanger said moments after completing a conference call on the matter last Tuesday.

Belanger said that the only problem that could be experienced might be the physical operation of precincts this year. “We will try to consolidate some of the polling locations so we can save on the number of voting machines we are going to need.”

In order to minimize the number of precincts that were created in the redrawing of district lines in Terrebonne Parish, an alternative plan of conducting polling places with multiple precincts in the same location could head off the need of added polling places, voting machines and the costs associated with them.

“We are not eliminating the precincts,” Belanger said. “What we would do is combine precinct voting locations. If we don’t do this we will create a travesty for all parishes and the state.”

By consolidating precinct polling places, Terrebonne Parish could eliminate the need for 50 additional voting machines along with added commissioners for polling locations.

Belanger said that the Justice Department deadline is not a threat to candidates or voters in Terrebonne Parish. “We’re going to be ahead of time.”

The last time that parish officials missed gaining Justice Department approval on redistricting and had to postpone an election was in 1996.