Washington County Proposes Consolidating 24 Voting Precincts Ahead of May Primary

WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA – March 17th, 2026 – The Washington County Board of Elections has filed a petition with the Court of Common Pleas seeking approval to make changes to several election districts in response to population shifts, challenges in recruiting poll workers, and increasing costs to the county. “It is important to evaluate these changes as we see some polling locations struggling to handle voter traffic while others are barely used,” said Chair Nick Sherman. “The Mon Valley was once one of the most populated and active areas, but now there are too many polling locations that are difficult to staff. This allows us to save county resources yet still provide people physical locations to vote in their neighborhoods.” Following careful planning and evaluation, the county is proposing the consolidation of 24 voting precincts, reducing the total number of polling places from 180 to 156 ahead of the May 19 primary election. “We are also seeing increasing difficulty finding actual polling locations that are accessible,” said Washington County Elections Director Melanie Ostrander. “Many churches that previously hosted polling places have closed, and other buildings in these communities are not ADA-compliant. In several cases, the precincts we are proposing to consolidate already share the same physical location, so combining them will improve efficiency by reducing the amount of equipment and the number of poll workers required.” The proposed changes would affect the following municipalities: California Borough, Charleroi Borough, Cross Creek Township, Donora Borough, Fallowfield Township, Independence Township, Monongahela City, Mount Pleasant Township, Peters Township, Robinson Township, Smith Township, Union Township, the City of Washington, and West Finley Township. “It is common for population shifts to require adjustments to election districts,” said Vice Chair Electra Janis. “For example, Peters Township population grew in the most recent census, but only in certain wards. As a result, the township redrew its ward lines to maintain fair and equal representation, which required corresponding changes to some voting locations as part of this plan.” Commissioner Larry Maggi has seen changes in polling locations and voter patterns throughout his more than two decades in county government. The most recent adjustments occurred in 2017, when more precincts were added in several growing communities like North Strabane, South Strabane, and Cecil. “One of the duties of a County Commissioner is to run elections and provide accessibility to safe and secure places to vote,” Maggi explained. “Recently, the county has experienced changes in where people live and vote, and our elections department has found it increasingly difficult to get poll workers to conduct elections in some of these areas. Because of this, it became necessary to make these changes.” A judge will hear the arguments and decide on the proposed changes in a hearing set for next Thursday, March 26th in Courtroom 6 at 1:15pm. You can find the specifics on the proposed changes for each precinct at https://www.washingtoncopa.gov/elections or posted in the communities.