Washington County election districts may be consolidated before primary

California, Charleroi, Donora, Fallowfield Township and Monongahela would be affected by the proposed changes.

Fewer polling places — but officials say more efficiency — could be coming to parts of the Mon Valley as Washington County looks to restructure its election districts.

The Washington County Board of Elections filed a petition with the Court of Common Pleas requesting approval to consolidate 24 precincts, reducing the total number of polling places from 180 to 156 ahead of the May 19 primary election.

County officials said the proposal is driven by shifting population patterns, difficulty recruiting poll workers and rising operational costs.

Washington County Board of Elections Chair Nick Sherman said the changes reflect evolving voter trends across the county.

“It is important to evaluate these changes as we see some polling locations struggling to handle voter traffic while others are barely used,” Sherman said. “The Mon Valley was once one of the most populated and active areas, but now there are too many polling locations that are difficult to staff. This allows us to save county resources yet still provide people physical locations to vote in their neighborhoods.”

Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander said another challenge has been securing suitable polling locations.

“We are also seeing increasing difficulty finding actual polling locations that are accessible,” Ostrander said. “Many churches that previously hosted polling places have closed, and other buildings in these communities are not ADA-compliant. In several cases, the precincts we are proposing to consolidate already share the same physical location, so combining them will improve efficiency by reducing the amount of equipment and the number of poll workers required.”

The proposed changes would affect California, Charleroi, Donora, Fallowfield Township and Monongahela, along with several other municipalities across Washington County.

Washington County Board of Elections Vice Chair Electra Janis said population changes reflected in the most recent census have also driven the need for adjustments.

“It is common for population shifts to require adjustments to election districts,” Janis said. “For example, Peters Township population grew in the most recent census, but only in certain wards. As a result, the township redrew its ward lines to maintain fair and equal representation, which required corresponding changes to some voting locations as part of this plan.”

Commissioner Larry Maggi said the county has adjusted precincts before as communities have grown or declined.

“One of the duties of a county commissioner is to run elections and provide accessibility to safe and secure places to vote,” Maggi said. “Recently, the county has experienced changes in where people live and vote, and our elections department has found it increasingly difficult to get poll workers to conduct elections in some of these areas. Because of this, it became necessary to make these changes.”

In the Mon Valley, several municipalities would see precinct consolidations under the proposal.

In California, precincts 1 and 2 would be combined, creating a district with 1,143 registered voters.

In Charleroi, precincts 2 and 3 would combine to form Charleroi 1 with 916 voters, while precincts 4 and 6 would combine to form Charleroi 2 with 926 voters.

Donora would see new precinct boundaries, with current precincts 1 and 2 combined with part of precinct 4, and precincts 5 and 7 combined with another portion of precinct 4. The changes would create Donora 1 with 1,263 voters and Donora 2 with 1,353 voters.

In Fallowfield Township, precincts 2 and 4 would be combined into a single district with 1,210 voters.

In Monongahela, precincts 2W-1 and 2W-3 in the second ward would be combined for 1,003 registered voters, while precincts 3W-1 and 3W-2 in the third ward would be combined for a total of 1,132 voters.

Voters whose precincts are affected would be reassigned to new polling locations ahead of the May 19 primary. County officials note that voters casting ballots at a new precinct for the first time may be required to show identification.

County officials also continue to encourage the use of mail-in and absentee ballots, which are available to all registered voters and have reduced reliance on in-person voting in recent years.

A judge will hear arguments on the proposal at 1:15 p.m. March 26 in Courtroom 6.

Specifics on the proposed changes for each precinct can be found at https://www.washingtoncopa.gov/ elections or posted in the communities.