West Deer voting districts for supervisors remain standing after a motion to eliminate them was voted down this month.
While supervisors acknowledged there may need to be some realignment with the district voting structure, a majority felt they were still necessary for voter representation.
“The real way to give representation to all the people is to make sure they are represented in their current districts,” supervisor Vince Mercuri said.
Before the districts were created in 2018, he said, multiple supervisors could be from the same area of the township, leaving parts of the community behind when making decisions.
Currently, the township is split into four districts and eight wards within those districts. Residents of wards one and two vote for a District 1 supervisor, residents of wards three and five vote for a District 2 supervisor, residents of wards six and seven vote for a District 3 supervisor and residents of wards four and eight voted for a District 4 supervisor.
Mercuri said the system can be confusing for voters, but the solution is educating the public not eliminating the districts.
The voting districts are not automatically realigned if the township goes through a high level of growth with business or housing developments. To reapportion districts, said township solicitor Gavin Robb, the township would need to bring on a consultant to propose a new zoning map after analyzing population and voting data. Township leaders would then file a petition signed by electors. The petition is only approved if the township can prove the districts are disproportional.
“We’ve had an explosion of growth in the past five years,” supervisor Bill Payne said. “Do we think that’s just going to stop?”
At-large voting, Payne said, would avoid the costs of bringing on a consultant, studies and a petition every time the districts become disproportionate.
“You don’t need those studies if you don’t have districts,” said supervisor Josh Wiegand said, adding the he understands the original intent of going to voting districts to spread voter representation, but is not sure that panned out.
“I think that, after several years of experiencing the true (voting system), I don’t think it does justice.”
The system can potentially hinder the township keeping all of the supervisors seats filled, Wiegand said. For qualified people who are willing to run for supervisor, living in the same district automatically knocks a majority of those candidates out of the race since there can only be one person from each district elected, he said.
“I think we’re limiting ourselves as to who can run,” Wiegand said
He said the township has run into the issue of a district producing zero candidates. In that case, the other supervisors appoint someone to take that position.
He and Payne made the point that not all residents will get to participate in future elections.
“In this election in two years, only 50% of the township is going to be able to vote for their township supervisor,” Wiegand said. “I think that’s very limiting. When all five of us make decisions for the entire township, I feel like we should be elected by the entire township.”
Wiegand made a motion to eliminate the districts. Payne seconded the motion before it was voted down in a 3-2 vote. Supervisor chair John Hollibaugh, vice chair Jeffrey Fleming and Mercuri voted against the motion.
“I think the districts need to stay, but they need to be straightened out,” said Hollibaugh.
