Latest news with #LaGrand
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grand Rapids commission mulls whether to change voting precincts
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids City Commission is considering a proposal from the city clerk that would change the number of voting precincts in the city. The proposal, passing in its first reading at Tuesday night's commission meeting, would decrease the number of precincts from 74 to 59. That is a total of 15 precincts eliminated: three in the 1st Ward, five in the 2nd Ward, and seven in the 3rd Ward. The commission voted 6-1 to move the proposal to a public hearing, which will be held on April 29. At that time, it can either be modified, passed or rejected. The one 'no' vote was from 3rd Ward Commissioner Kelsey Perdue, who told News 8 she feels the proposal is a threat to voter accessibility. Allendale schools asking for $88 million bond for improvements 'There are still a ton of Grand Rapidians that are really relying on the convenience on being able to show up on Election Day and cast their ballot and be a part of this participatory democracy,' Perdue said. 'Everyone across the city should be concerned about this, reducing voting sites, making it more difficult, making it more inconvenient is a threat to voter access for all.' A stark difference of opinion came from Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand, who was one of the six 'yes' voters to the proposal. 'More precincts, more places to vote does not necessarily mean better voter access,' LaGrand told News 8. 'I vote at Westminster Presbyterian Church. If you close that place down and open up five new basement operations in people's houses, you wouldn't have better access to voting, you'd have more locations, but they would be way worse than the current, very visible, very accessible one.' Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp 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. Those two totaling more than those who voted on Election Day, which he said sparked the proposed precinct changes. 'A lot of voters know this, you go into your voting place and there are two precincts voting in the same building, well it makes a lot of sense to consolidate those precincts then and have one line not two so you don't get in the wrong line and miss your chance to vote,' LaGrand said. 'Making sure we have really accessible locations for people with disabilities that are really visible.' Grand Rapids Mayor LaGrand delivers first State of the City address But limiting precincts by either eliminating or combining them together is something commissioner Perdue said she feels will disproportionately impact disenfranchised communities, especially constituents in her ward. 'When you think about the people who rely a ton on that day of Election Day, voting is young voters, it is first-time voters, it is infrequent voters. We need to make sure we keep as many options open for them as possible, make it as easy to vote right now, not make it harder,' she said. Now that the proposal has passed the first reading, it will be brought up for final votes at the next commission meeting on April 29. From there, if it were to pass, the new plans would go into effect for the upcoming midterm election. 'I am going to go every ward and make sure that every location actually is a net improvement for voters and if we need to add some locations back in, I will make sure that and I and the other commissioners make that happen,' LaGrand said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Grand Rapids Mayor LaGrand to deliver first State of the City address
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand will deliver his first State of the City address Thursday night. The speech is a private event held at an event center downtown but it will stream on beginning at 6:15 p.m. LaGrand in November of 2024, defeating Senita Lenear 63% to 37%. He was on Dec. 17 and officially took office Jan. 1. Grand Rapids mayor-elect calls on residents to get involved In an with News 8 right after he was elected, LaGrand said he plans to focus on affordable housing, justice issues, safety issues and community vitality during his term in office. He called for people in Grand Rapids to get engaged. 'Getting more people involved, more voices involved, more people at the table because I think a lot of people are frustrated with government now because they're not feeling heard,' he told News 8 in November. LaGrand is expected to touch on housing, justice and policing as well as city and neighborhood design in his address. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
