Politics & Government

Arnold to Shift 870 Residents Into Ward 1

Census results show that the population in Arnold's four voting wards varies by 28 percent, instead of the required 10 percent, and 117 voters must move into Ward 4.

Arnold city councilmen have until Dec. 13, the deadline for candidates to register the 2012 elections, to rewrite the four voting ward’s boundaries to correct a 28-percent imbalance in the wards’ voting populations.

Economic Development/Planner Dan Bish said that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 allows Arnold's voting wards’ populations to vary by 10 percent only.

The city’s ward populations vary by 28 percent, Bish said to council members at their work session at City Hall, at 2101 Jeffco Blvd. Thursday.

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The 2010 Census results combined with Arnold ward maps showed that voting populations in Ward 2 and Ward 3 are much larger than the other two wards, Bish said.

The current proposed changes would shift 870 residents into Ward 1 from Ward 2 and shift 117 residents to Ward 4 from Ward 3 Bish stated in a memo to council members. 

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Arnold’s voting wards’ populations would vary by 8 percent if council members approved the changes, Bish said.

When redrawing the ward boundaries, council members also needed to consider six items: design compact and contiguous wards; retain neighborhood, historic and precinct boundaries; maintain the community’s interest; and consider the incumbents’ residence within each ward, Bish said.

Ward 2 Councilman Bill Moritz requested color maps of the voting wards, the proposed changes and the home locations of the current ward councilmen.

The additional information would help councilmen create new wards, Moritz said.


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