Registrar: redistricting has created many new voting precincts in Merced

The Registrar of Voters office has completed the redistricting process and has created many new precincts due to the redistricting of the Board of Supervisors.

Many voters now are located in new districts and possibly in new precincts. A total of seven new precincts were created and many were changed. The information is now available at the Registrar of Voters office.

Registrar of Voeters Kent B. Christensen encouraged everyone to register to vote in an important election year. The primary election for President will be on June 5, 2012 and the last day to register to vote in the primary is May 21. Registration cards are available at the registrar of voter’s office, post offices, libraries, city clerk’s offices and www.mercedelections.org.

The election is a Top Two Primary because of Prop. 14 which was approved by the votes on June 8, 2010. The Top Two Primary Act changes the way elections are conducted for all statewide “Voter-Nominated” offices. It doesn’t affect the election of President and Central Committees, which are party-nominated.

Under the Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act, all candidates running in a primary election, regardless of their political party preference, will appear on a single combined Primary Election ballot, and voters can vote for any candidate from any political party. The candidates for voter-nominated offices who receive the highest and second-highest number of votes cast at the primary election, regardless of political party, will appear on the ballot as candidates at the General Election.

The last day of the nomination period is March 9, unless the incumbent fails to file or there is no incumbent eligible to run. Then any registered eligible voter other than the incumbent may file up until March 14. That doesn’t apply to vacant positions or those with term limits that have been met.

A list of offices and candidates may be found at www.mercedelections.org.

The registrar told Merced County voters in a news release that becuase of the redistricting and reprecincting process, it’s possible that a sample ballot will list a new polling location. Be sure to read the sample ballot and note the location of the polling place.

For more information, contact the Registrar of Voters office at (209) 385-7541.