Township plans voting precinct changes
Dundee Township is preparing to add a third voting precinct.
Due to changes in the local population, as revealed in the 2000 census, the Monroe County Commissioners redrew their districts, with Dundee Township in two of them.

“However, the way they drew the districts meant that our Voting Precinct 1 had more than the legally allowed number of population,” said Dundee Township Clerk Judy Cowen.

Therefore, Mrs. Cowen split Dundee Township into three voting precincts, even though the township still will have two Monroe County Districts.

She wanted it to be clear that the three Dundee precincts as she has designed them have not yet been approved by the state, and so are not yet official.

The Monroe County Districts for Dundee Township are: District 1— the Village of Dundee (with boundaries as of June 5, 2001); that part of Dundee Township west of the Ann Arbor Railroad and north of M-50; that part of Dundee Township west of Wells Road and south of M-50; District 2— that part of Dundee Township east of the Ann Arbor Railroad and north of M-50 (but not including the village); and that part of Dundee Township east of Wells Road and south of M-50.

District 1 also includes the City of Milan (Monroe County portion), Milan Township, City of Petersburg, Summerfield Township and Whiteford township.

District 2 also includes London Township, Raisinville Township, Ida Township, Village of Maybee, and that portion of Exeter Township south of Stony Creek.

“The three voting precincts will have roughly the same number of registered voters in each,” said Mrs. Cowen.

The numbers are about 1,500 in one; 1,500 in another and 1,100 in a third.
“We have sent the map and a list of the roads to the state for approval,” said Mrs. Cowen. “The voter registration books are now computerized. So the state will put the numbers in, and create a disk for us.”

She added that every registered voter in Dundee Township will receive a card in the mail, telling them what voting precinct they will be in. Cost of printing and mailing the cards is about $1,000.

“After the state approves the changes, and the cards are mailed, we will set up for the referendum election— using these precincts,” said Mrs. Cowen.
Dundee Township is required to conduct a special election, allowing voters to approve or disapprove the amendments to the zoning ordinance recently approved by Dundee Township Board members. Some citizens circulated petitions requesting the vote.

During the referendum election, Village of Dundee residents will not be allowed to vote.

“They will not be allowed to vote, because the township zoning ordinance does not govern them. It only governs people in the township. It’s true that they pay township taxes, but they are governed only by the village zoning ordinance,” said Mrs. Cowen.

The referendum election is expected to be held sometime in April. She said paper ballots will be used at the special election. The new precincts also will be used during the August primary election.

“The tentative plan is to have two precincts vote at the township hall, and one precinct vote at the fire hall, because it’s accessible and only a short walk across the street,” said Mrs. Cowen.

Because the registered voter list is computerized, the election workers will have printouts of the list, and any questions can be answered quickly by checking the list in the computer.

“There are lots of safeguards to protect the people,” said Mrs. Cowen. “If you say you’re a registered voter, but your name is not on the list, or you’re not sure which precinct your in, we can easily check that.”

To take care of the extra precinct, Mrs. Cowen said the township will have to buy only one more computerized voting machine, and will have to hire a couple of extra election workers, but she doesn’t think the township will need too many more, since the precincts will be smaller.