5 Voting districts in Botetourt set to realign
Approximately 700 registered voters would be impacted by proposed changes to the county’s five voting districts, the Board of Supervisors learned at its February 22, 2022 meeting.
Every 10 years, the county must realign its boundaries after the U.S. Census has completed its population county. However, the state had to finish its redistricting of US Congressional and State
General Assembly election districts before the county could move ahead.
State and federal laws require local election districts to have equalized populations. Based on the 2020 US Census, each Botetourt County local election district should, ideally, contain 6,723 persons or be within a deviation of plus or minus 5 percent of that number, county officials said.
The proposed changes do not affect polling places and creates a maximum population deviation of less than 1 percent for all districts.
The proposed option moves the southern boundary between the Fincastle and Amsterdam Districts (Area A on accompanying map) from Catawba Creek southward to Blackberry Lane and Country Club Road, incorporating that area north of Blackberry Lane and County Club Road between Blacksburg Road and Catawba Creek that is currently in the Amsterdam District into the Fincastle District.
Additionally, the proposal (Area B) moves the boundary between the Buchanan and Fincastle Districts, shifting an area between Interstate 81 and Brughs Mill Road and Ammen Road from the Amsterdam District to the Buchanan District.
In Area C on the accompanying map, the boundary between the Buchanan and Fincastle districts moves eastward to add to the Fincastle District the area between Salt Peter Cave Road, Shiloh Church Road, Shiloh Drive, and Narrow Passage Road.
Between the Buchanan and Valley Districts, the proposal shifts the boundary southward in two areas: 1) between Interstate 81 and US Route 11 from Gravel Hill Road to the Town of Troutville boundary (Area D); and 2) from the railway line between Stoney Battery Road and Houston Mines Road south to the boundary of the Appalachian Scenic Trail and west, generally to Stoney Battery Road and/or Stoney Battle Creek (Area E).
In order to modify the boundaries, the county must update Chapter 9 of its ordinances. The proposal has to be properly advertised and go through a public hearing before the Board votes on it. Presently, the county plans to advertise the proposal in The Fincastle Herald and The Roanoke Times, with the public hearing on March 22. The Supervisors would vote to approve the boundary changes at the April 26 meeting.
Following approval, the county registrar would mail out new voter registration cards. If possible, county officials hope the new election district boundaries would be in use for a June 21 primary election.
— Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee