Pocono News Section

County GOP moves to stop precinct cuts

County GOP moves to stop precinct cuts - Monday, February 9, 2009 at 12:21PM EST

Reported by: David DeCosmo WYO9U TV News
Monday, Feb 9, 2009 @ 12:21pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY

Lackawanna County's Republican Party Chairman filed a petition in County Court Monday in an attempt to stop plans to reduce the number of voting precincts in the county.

GOP Chairman Paul Catalano, acting on behalf of Lance Strange, Secretary of the County's Republican Party, and County Minority Commissioner A. J. Munchack, filed the petition in answer to a plan to cut the number of precincts from 163 to 115.

Catalano said he believes this is the wrong time to make the move which, he says, could confuse voters. Catalano said Lackawanna County voters are still trying to deal with recent voting changes that took than from lever, to touch screen machines, to paper ballots.

The County's Board of Elections asked the court for permission to reduce the number of precincts in a petitioned filed on January 29th. A difficulty in getting people to work the polls was cited as one of the reasons for that action.