Murrysville voters want judge to split precincts to ease Election Day lines

Democrats and Republicans in Murrysville apparently agree on one issue: the long lines voters must endure before they cast ballots in elections must end.

A Westmoreland County judge will soon consider a petition filed by 85 registered voters asking that the county board of elections be forced to redraw the voting districts in order to reduce lengthy lines like those seen in recent elections. Routine waits of more than an hour at two of the municipality’s seven voting precincts — Sardis and Newlonsburg — have started to result in “diminished voter turnout,” the lawsuit claims.

“The situation would be substantially improved by the division of the Sardis and Newlonsburg precincts into two districts each. This will result in an average of approximately 1,800 voters in each precinct,” the petition states.

One of the organizers of the grassroots effort is Maury G. Fey, 82, a longtime poll worker at Newlonsburg Presbyterian Church.

“Something needs to be done,” Fey said. “It’s a terrible problem that desperately needs fixed, and it has been getting worse.”

Beth Lechman, director of the election bureau, said Monday the county will not contest the residents’ redistricting request. She acknowledged the large numbers of voters at the two polling locations has caused problems and lengthy wait times for voters. She said the elections board will investigate separating the precincts as part of an overall plan that will address all seven districts within Murrysville.

“If we are going to look at this, we’ll look at the whole municipality,” Lechman said.

The Newlonsburg district has 3,454 registered voters, while the Sardis precinct has 3,498 voters, according to county officials. Murrysville has 15,578 registered voters.

The legal filing, which will be formally presented May 3 to Common Pleas Judge Chris Scherer, was done with the consent of the county. Elections bureau officials this year have explored changes to Murrysville’s precincts. That work would have stopped when canvassing for the U.S. Census begins, Lechman said.

To ensure the redistricting can continue, the county advised proponents of a potential Murrysville redistricting to file court documents to ensure that the census activity does not delay the effort.

Any redistricting in Murrysville, as well as an ongoing effort to split voting districts in Upper Burrell, will not be finalized in time for the May 21 primary. New precinct lines could be drawn and in place for the general election in November, Lechman said.

Fey has worked the polls for 10 years. He has watched as increased population combined with increased interest in elections has drawn more voters and caused lengthy waits.

The lawsuit, filed by Latrobe attorney John M. Hauser III, notes that aside from Sardis and Newlonsburg, the other five municipal precincts — East Murrysville, Manordale, South Murrysville, East Manordale and West Murrysville — average fewer than 1,800 registered voters each.

“The number of electors in the Sardis and Newlonsburg voting districts is in far excess of what the precincts can comfortably handle and as a result there are frequently long lines in which voters wait more than an hour to vote,” the two-page petition states.

Long lines have been a problem for years, according to Fey. In the 2016 presidential elections and again in a “supposed off-year” general election last November, most voters in the two precincts waited for more than an hour-and-a-half to cast their ballots, he said. Lines stretched from the voting machines inside the church through the church’s parking lot.

“We have a lot of elderly and some infirm voters who are physically not able to stand for that long,” Fey said. “Fortunately, the weather has recently been relatively mild on election days, and as poll workers, we’ve found voters who are already in line willing to let the elderly and infirm move ahead of them to cast ballots. But the bottom line is that the problem needs fixed.”

In January, Murrysville council voted to support the voters’ court petition for a study to realign the districts. According to minutes of the Jan. 16 meeting, Councilman Josh Lorenz noted any precinct changes likely won’t occur until the 2020 elections at the earliest.

But that doesn’t bother Fey.

“Hey, I understand the board of elections has a lot of issues on their plate every election and they need to do a complete review before they can make such a change. Whatever the time period, we’re patient, and if it takes to the 2020 election that’s fine,” Fey said. “Just as long as the problem is eventually fixed, is what we want to see.”

Tom Wubben, chairman of the Murrysville-Export Republican Committee, said the redistricting efforts have been bi-partisan.

Wubben said he has met with Fey, Susan Steward-Bayne, president of the Murrysville-Export Democratic Club, and Jim Morrison, Murrysville chief administrator. He said he also has been in contact with the board of elections about the problem and potential resolutions.

A hearing on the group’s petition is slated for 9 a.m. May 3 before Scherer, according to online court documents.