Thousands of GR voters will soon have new polling spot after city commission vote
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Grand Rapids City Commission voted Tuesday to approve an ordinance that eliminates 15 voting precincts and will change the polling locations for thousands of voters.
Following a public hearing Tuesday evening, commissioners passed the changes with a 6-1 vote. The only no vote came from 3rd Ward Commissioner Kelsey Perdue, who said she wanted to consider alternatives and was concerned the changes could have unintended consequences for parts of the community.
'My concern with this proposal is the disparate impact it will have on some parts of our community,' Perdue said in a morning meeting ahead of the evening vote, adding that she wants to know more about the 21,700 voters who will soon have a new polling location. 'I see a huge blind spot on who this will impact.'
Grand Rapids commission mulls whether to change voting precincts
Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp previously told News 8 that this past election, around 42,000 people voted in-person on Election Day, compared to the nearly 35,000 that voted absentee and the near 20,000 that voted early. He said those numbers sparked the proposed precinct changes.
The ordinance decreases the number of precincts in the city from 74 to 59. Wards 1 and 2 will each have 20 precincts, while Ward 3 has 19. Of the 15 eliminated precincts, three are in Ward 1, five are in Ward 2 and seven are in Ward 3.
With the changes, about 21,700 voters — 13% of all voters — will have a new polling location, according to a Tuesday morning presentation from the city clerk. Some of the precincts set to be consolidated already have the same polling location. Other combinations will mean some will vote in a new location.
Pricier parking tickets, decreased property tax, 22 new jobs: What's in proposed GR budget
Some precincts will not be combined but will have their polling location moved to another spot within the precinct. Polling locations that will no longer be used — whether due to those moves or due to precinct combinations — are Shawmut Hills and GRCC M-Tec in Ward 1, East Leonard and Aquinas College in Ward 2, and Sigsbee, Mulick Park, Adams Park Apartments and Boston Square Church in Ward 3.
Before heading to the polls, voters should check their polling location at to see if it has changed.
— News 8's Adriana Doria contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Amazon impacts Baton Rouge economy; pushes businesses to grow
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Amazon is fast-tracking its economic development with new jobs and training. 'Our starting wage in our facility in Baton Rouge ranges from $17.50 an hour to a little bit above that, especially for our team members who are coming on a night shift or weekend shift,' said Regional Leader and Senior Economic Development Manager at Amazon, Jessica Breaux. 'The really cool thing I think is they get benefits on their very first day in employment.' It's one of the biggest names in global commerce, but in Baton Rouge, Amazon is building more than just distribution centers. President of the Rotary Club of Baton Rouge, Gregory Wood, said it's building a support system for businesses to grow. 'BTR1 was the location of the old Cortana Mall, and during that time, that particular area was seeing some decline in business licenses and other businesses supporting the surrounding area,' said Wood. Although there are a lot of great businesses in the Baton Rouge area, Wood believes other businesses should take note of what Amazon is doing for their employees. 'I think what people need to understand, and look at, is what Amazon is offering their employees, and I think existing businesses need to take note of what Amazon is doing to lure employees into their workforce as well,' said Wood. Religious leaders, refugees call for unity at 'Peaceful Stand Together' gathering Amazon impacts Baton Rouge economy; pushes businesses to grow Attorneys for Kilmar Abrego Garcia argue for 'due process' in new court filing 'Immaturity': Rand Paul rips White House after being 'uninvited' from picnic White House says 330 immigrants arrested in L.A. since Friday Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Man detained by ICE was already scheduled to leave, advocates say
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids immigration advocates are seeking the release of a man who they say was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement only days before he was scheduled to leave the country. Movimiento Cosecha GR and GR Rapid Response to ICE say Carlos Menjivar is at the Calhoun County Correctional Facility, which is an ICE holding facility. ICE did not immediately confirm that to News 8 Wednesday. The advocacy groups say Menjivar was detained June 4 when he went for what they called a 'routine check-in' at the office for the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program on Michigan Street NE near College Avenue in Grand Rapids. ISAP is an ICE program in which people are under supervision while their immigration cases make their way through the system, which can take years. Through it, contracted case managers can keep ICE agents up to date on cases and whether people are abiding by the conditions of their release, explains. '(Menjivar) was asked to come to this ISAP office with his paperwork, so his passport, and approve of them leaving (the United States). They had agreed, actually verbally agreed, with the ISAP office to departure this Saturday,' Movimiento Cosecha organizer Gema Lowe said at a Wednesday news conference. She said ISAP workers were supposed to check the paperwork and plane tickets for their return to Menjivar's native El Salvador. Instead, she said, he was 'arbitrarily' detained and ICE now has his and his family's passports. 'This family, they have been compliant to everything Immigration has asked them since they came to this country as refugees in 2017,' Lowe said. She argued that asking Menjivar to report to the ISAP office was a 'trap.' At the news conference, one of Menjivar's children held a sign that read, 'Te amamos, Papa,' or 'We love you, Dad,' in Spanish. ICE did not immediately provide answers after Target 8 sought information about Menjivar's status and details about how frequently people are detained at ISAP check-ins. GR Rapid Response to ICE organizer Jeff Smith suggested between eight and 10 people were detained at the ISAP office June 4. It was unclear how he reached that count. ICE has not provided any information. Immigration advocates went to the ISAP office that day and Grand Rapids police were called to ask them to leave. Smith said everyone who went to an ISAP appointment after the advocates arrived was allowed to leave as expected. Smith said the group is now offering to send advocates with people when they have appointments. Smith said advocates are calling for Menjivar to be released in time for the family's scheduled departure Saturday, that the passports be returned to the family for that travel and that ICE documentation note he left voluntarily. They have also asked U.S. senators and representatives to intervene. In the meantime, Menjivar's wife and three children are seeking sanctuary at Fountain Street Church, a nondenominational Christian church in downtown Grand Rapids, the advocates say. 'When the residents of our community are under attack or under threat, our doors are open to provide shelter and sanctuary,' Rev. Nathan Dannison, the pastor at Fountain Street Church, said. 'Our beliefs here at Fountain Street compel us to act.' Smith called on other Grand Rapids faith organizations to offer themselves up as sanctuaries. 'We're asking the public to see what's happening. This is the faces that they are brave enough to show and say, 'We're here,'' Lowe said. 'Even though they did they did everything they were asked to, they've still been separated. It's structural violence.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Advocates for disabled criticize proposed voting changes
Advocates for the disabled charged that two pending election law bills would create unfair barriers for those seeking to vote by absentee ballot or to use accessible voting equipment to cast a ballot in person. But supporters insisted the voter identification requirements for those voting by absentee ballot should be as rigorous as those who vote in person at the polls. They maintain that small towns should not have to lease expensive accessible voting equipment if there aren't going to be any voters who need those services on Election Day. Dr. Randy Pierce is chief executive officer with Future in Sight, an advocacy group that assists the 29,000 residents in New Hampshire who are blind or visually impaired. 'What these result in are creating a barrier and in New Hampshire voting should be a private, independent and undue barrier-free system,' Pierce said. 'The good news is this is not too late.' Both the absentee voting (SB 287) and accessible voting (HB 613) bills are expected to go to a House-Senate conference committee to try and settle differences between the two measures. Currently, anyone can request by mail an absentee ballot application and then mail in their vote to the city or town clerk. The absentee voter has to sign an affidavit under penalty of perjury that he or she qualifies as a resident and eligible voter in that precinct. Late last month, the House Election Laws Committee attached to a related absentee ballot bill the proposed requirement that a copy of the voter's photo identification card and a notarized signature on the application form would be required to receive an absentee ballot. Chairman and state Rep. Ross Berry, R-Weare, said concerns about the mandate were overblown. 'Importantly, New Hampshire law currently allows for electronic and remote notarization services, providing an additional, accessible option for voters to verify their identity remotely,' Berry said. 'Voters who request an absentee ballot in person may simply present their ID at the clerk's office. During committee discussions, it was noted that electronic transmission methods — such as emailing a scanned copy of an ID — would be acceptable, as New Hampshire law currently imposes no requirements for ID submission.' Critics liken bills to voter suppression Rep. Connie Lane, D-Concord, said there's no valid reason for imposing the requirement. 'This bill, like many others passed over the past few years, is based purely on speculation and adds yet another barrier to exercising the right to vote — also known as voter suppression,' Lane said. The House passed the bill along party lines, 184-146 with GOP members in support and Democrats against it. Sen. James Gray, R-Rochester, convinced the Senate last week to have his accessible voting language replace an unrelated measure about default town budgets. As crafted, it would permit any city or town clerk to notify Secretary of State David Scanlan that it will not need to acquire accessible voting equipment unless a local voter asks for it within 60 days of an election. James Ziegra, senior staff attorney with the Disabilities Rights Center, said the change is unconstitutional and would be in violation of federal law as well. Pierce said his members reside in 'every town and city ward' in New Hampshire so all communities should the accessible machines available. 'No one in this state should have to fight to have their vote counted and heard,' added Krysten Evans, director of policy and advocacy for ABLE NH, an interest group that supports the disabled. What's Next: Both bills will be discussed before House-Senate conference committees next week and face a June 19 deadline to reach an agreement. Prospects: Given the support among House and Senate Republican leaders for these changes, odds are high that they are going win approval in the Legislature during these final weeks. klandrigan@
