Existing split districts could be administered in 2021 elections
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The Henrico County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution Tuesday evening to authorize and direct the general registrar to apply to the State Board of Elections for a waiver to administer the county’s existing split precincts in this year’s general election.
Henrico currently has five precincts split between two House of Delegates districts:
- Precinct: 105-Greendale – House of Delegates: 72 & 73
- Precinct: 403-Derbyshire – House of Delegates: 72 & 73
- Precinct: 404-Freeman – House of Delegates: 68 & 73
- Precinct: 509-Laburnum – House of Delegates: 70 & 74
- Precinct: 513-Pleasants – House of Delegates: 70 & 74
State law generally prohibits the use of split precincts but allows for a waiver by the State Board of Elections if it is not possible for the locality to fix the precincts by the time of the upcoming election, General Registrar Mark Coakley told the supervisors.
Officials determined that correcting the split precincts in accordance with the legal requirement would not be possible before the general election in November, he said.
Coakley said no difficulty was anticipated in administering the split precincts for this year.
The Henrico County Electoral Board had requested May 10 that the Board of Supervisors seek a waiver.
The administration of split districts may take a different shape in the future, however, as Henrico officials are expected to begin the process of redrawing the county’s five magisterial district boundaries later this summer, with one of the tasks of the reapportionment process being to avoid splits between districts and Census tracts or voting precincts.
