By Adam Pack
As a result of the state legislature’s redistricting of the house and senatorial maps earlier this year, the Greenbrier County Commission has been left with a bit of extra work to do. Greenbrier County Clerk Robin Loudermilk has spent a considerable amount of time since the maps were released several weeks ago redrawing the magisterial districts and voting precincts.
Causing the most headache is the fact that while the House map borders cut across the county at Rt. 219, some voting precincts run across 219. This is problematic, because it is a violation of state law for precincts to be in two different house districts. There were 12 precincts affected in the county which now must be redrawn. These precincts must, however, be proportional and fair to the citizens within them. As the legislators in Charleston can attest, the work of redistricting can be quite the migraine. It will affect 3,353 people of voting age, with Clerk Loudermilk adding that, “We don’t know if all those people are registered voters.”
County Commissioner Rose said the new borders “create a multitude of problems for Mrs. Loudermilk’s elections department.”
Commissioner McClung added, “This created quite a dilemma for her, and the information she needed was really late in coming; in the 11th hour she had to be involved in the redistricting of multiple maps. The legislature did not follow the precinct lines, and created a huge problem for her.”
The commissioners thanked Loudermilk for her efforts and for the dedication she’s shown to her public service.
The public is invited to attend Greenbrier County Commission meetings on Dec. 14 and 28, to discuss the new maps. Preliminary maps will be presented at the Dec. 28 meeting.