Election district hearing set Tuesday

The second version is based on precinct boundaries that while avoiding the splitting of precincts and potentially saving some expense by requiring fewer ballots, would change the voting districts of thousands of voters.

Following Tuesday’s public hearing, the Barrow County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to discuss the maps at its regularly scheduled 7 p.m. meeting.

The Barrow County Board of Education is scheduled to discuss the maps at its Aug. 2 meeting. The BOE does not have to adopt the same map used by the BOC, but officials have expressed some concern about the confusion that could be created for voters if they are in a different district for BOE elections.

The Georgia General Assembly must approve the final map following approval by the U.S. Justice Department.

Kenneth Young, chairman of the Barrow County Republican Party, said he and some other members of the local party prefer the map version based on census tracts.

"The individual districts appear to have better placements reflecting community interests," he said. "The districts have a good balance of population. Other factors are covered as well."

Young said he hopes that the BOC and the BOE agree on the same district maps to simplify future elections.