Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The Prattville City Council, in a 4-2 vote, finally votes in favor of the long-awaited redistricting maps for the City of Prattville.
This vote comes after years of discussion and months of holding over the long-awaited vote.
Councilwoman and Council President Lora Lee Boone, Councilman Tommy Merrick, Michael Whaley and John Chambers voted in favor of the Alternate Redistricting Plan Five. Councilman Robert Strichik and Marcus Jackson voted against.
Municipal redistricting occurs after each Census, which happens every 10 years. Local officials are required to redraw the boundaries of their districts to best represent their constituents, from which people elect the City Council, and to account for population and demographic shifts since the previous census.
Due to the recent 2020 census and a large population influx, the City of Prattville has continued the process of redistricting they started in June of 2021. The last redistricting map was adopted in 2010.
Now that the map is officially voted on and adopted, the process will now begin at the probate office where information will be sent to each voter in each district. That information will include information on how and where to cast a vote and other pertinent municipal election information regarding the new map.
In the Aug. 20 city council meeting, the council heard from Autauga County Probate Judge Kim Kervin. At that time, she stated the sooner the plan gets to her office the better. This is to ensure the process of putting in the new addresses and establishing polling locations in each newly drawn district is done before next year’s council election.
Kervin stated that for their process, it is easier to have the information about a year out to ensure not only accuracy but to give the probate office time to check and verify addresses for the election that is now less than a year away.
However, now that the map has been adopted, plans for Alternate Redistricting Plan Five can move forward.
