Kane County carves up four voting precincts

The Kane County Board agreed Tuesday to split up four voting precincts known for overcrowding and long lines on Election Day.

The result should be quicker voting experiences for thousands of taxpayers in Blackberry, Rutland and Elgin townships, officials said.

"These precincts we're splitting up, they're not pleasingly plump; they're obese," said Bill Wyatt, an Aurora Republican.

The decision to break up the precincts - Blackberry 5, Elgin 47 and Rutland 2 and 7 - came at the request of officials in those areas. All four precincts have more than 800 registered voters, which is considered the recommended maximum under state statute.

Rutland Township Supervisor Fred Bulmahn said crowding is already a "serious problem" in the two Rutland precincts, where officials are bracing for a 71 percent voter turnout in the November presidential election.

In the last election, Bulmahn said, "The lines were so long, the congestion so heavy, that people just walked away in frustration." Rutland precincts 2 and 7 are in the areas of Gilberts and Sun City, respectively. The Blackberry precinct includes the Mill Creek subdivision, while the Elgin precinct includes the Elgin Community College campus area.

Before Tuesday's decision, there were 169 polling places and 223 precincts in Kane County, according to Deputy Clerk Jay Bennett. Officials said the cost of dividing one precinct into two or more ranges from $25,000 to $30,000, which includes the expense of notifying voters of any changes to their designated polling places.

Among board members to take issue with the move was Jim Mitchell, a North Aurora Republican who said promoting early voting across the county instead of pumping funds into four precincts would be the more fiscally responsible thing to do.

"My constituents are going to have to pay that money," he said. "If you don't want to change your habits (by voting early), don't complain."

South Elgin Republican Mike Kenyon disagreed: "We have to make it as easy as we can for people to vote."

Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham said his office would wait until after the next election to consider consolidating some less crowded precincts to cut costs and make better use of resources.

Cunningham added that he was pleased with the board's decision. "They did the right thing," he said.