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<br />)38.' <br />.,j \., <br /> <br />TUESDAY <br /> <br />FEBRUARY 12, 1974 <br /> <br />Some of our reasons for requesting these changes are: <br /> <br />1. The State Election Laws have been changed to increase <br />the maximum size of the voting precincts to 5,000. <br /> <br />2. Some of our voting places have not been too desirable <br />for various reasons, such as the Lake Lanier Boat House, <br />the West End Day Care Center and the Joseph Martin School. <br /> <br />3. The new computer voter lists have simplified the voting <br />procedure encouraging larger precincts. <br /> <br />4. With our thirteen machines we could have two machines at <br />each precinct. The machine is the bottleneck, therefore, <br />this should speed up voting especially in the case of a <br />machine breakdown. <br /> <br />5. By having half the number of voting places, the overall <br />problems of personnel, materials, accounting and cost will <br />be lessened. <br /> <br />6. Since we do not have people elected by precinct, it will <br />have no effect on election results. <br /> <br />7. It is true that some people may, as a result, be further <br />from their voting place, but others will be closer. <br /> <br />By copy of this letter, we are hereby, upon approval by the Martinsville <br />City Council, asking the City Attorney to make request of the U. S. Department <br />of Justice for their approval of these suggested changes. <br /> <br />We request your action on these matters at your earliest convenience, since <br />the changes must be done not less than sixty days prior to an election and <br />as some of you know, our next election will be on May 7, 1974. <br /> <br />In beginning the discussion, Mayor West pointed out that each member of Council had been <br /> <br />provided with a copy of the Board's report and recommendation, as well as a copy of a letter <br /> <br />from Mr. Joseph W. Pritchett, in which letter Mr. Pritchett expressed opposition to the <br /> <br />proposed consolidation of the first and sixth precincts into a new No.1 precinct which <br /> <br />would vote at Albert Harris School. Visitors having been invited to speak, Mr. Pritchett <br /> <br />reiterated the points set forth in his letter, with other speakers expressing the same <br /> <br />general view of Mr. Pritchett, to the effect that in their opinion the first and sixth <br /> <br />precincts, as they presently exist, should not be consolidated, because they felt that <br /> <br />the poll would then be further away from some voters; that voters who vote early in the <br /> <br />morning, before going to work, would have problems; that extra traffic at the single poll <br /> <br />would create a hazard and that even though more voting machines would be available at the <br />