GREENFIELD — New census data on population growth in Hancock County could impact the county’s voter precincts, but the county will need the state to complete its own process before it can move forward.
The 2020 U.S. Census results have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Indiana Legislature will reconvene in September to draw the boundaries of House and Senate districts based on that data. After that, the Hancock County clerk’s office will redraw the county’s boundaries if necessary.
The clerk’s office was initially told it would have to finish the process by Sept. 7, Clerk Lisa Lofgreen said, but has since been informed by the state that because of the delays in receiving census data, they will not be held to that timeline.
At a meeting of the Hancock County Election Board on Thursday, Aug. 26, Lofgreen and election board members reviewed data that shows how the county’s population has changed over the past 10 years. That information will need to be used to ensure the county’s voting precincts are roughly equal in size.
Precincts’ populations must be within 2,000 active voters of one another, and counties are encouraged not to create precincts with fewer than 600 active voters. Precinct location also affects who can run for certain seats on the Hancock County Council and Board of Commissioners.
Hancock County has switched to a vote center system, meaning that voters can cast their ballots at any location throughout the county. However, precincts still need to be drawn and are still relevant to determining who county residents will vote for in elections for the state legislature and U.S. House of Representatives.
The maps reviewed by the election board show significant growth in some areas of Hancock County, especially Vernon Township. Hancock County GIS coordinator John Milburn compiled the maps based on raw data provided by the U.S. Census Bureau.
Vernon Township’s population increased by 49.1% from 2010 and 2020, Milburn found.
The population of Center Township, where Greenfield is located, increased by 11.3%. Buck Creek Township’s population increased by 10.5% and Sugar Creek Township’s by 10.5%. The populations of Green, Brown, Jackson, Brandywine and Blue River townships saw little change.
Lofgreen said there’s a chance the county will not need to change its precincts, or will only need to make minor changes, this year. She said the process in 2010 took into account which areas of the county were likely to grow in the next 10 years.
The county won’t truly know how much its precinct boundaries need to be changed until it receives data about redistricting at the state level, however. The substantial population growth in Hancock County overall could impact the placement of state legislative districts.
As for the legislature’s actions, Lofgreen said the county has been told to expect the results of that process by Sept. 30, but she added that it’s difficult to count on a precise timeline.
Re-drawing of precinct boundaries must be approved by the county commissioners. Lofgreen said she wants to get guidance from the commissioners as soon as possible on how to proceed and was to make a presentation to them about the process at their meeting today (Tuesday, Aug. 31).