Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
The Prattville City Council failed to pass the suspension of the rules for the redistricting ordinance that was on Tuesday evening’s agenda in a 4-2 vote.
In order for an ordinance to pass, a suspension of the rules must be unanimously voted on in favor in order to vote that particular ordinance. Due to the 4-2 vote to suspend the rules, the ordinance did not go to a vote at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Due to not having a unanimous vote to suspend the rules, the ordinance will hold over until the next city council meeting on Oct. 15.
Councilmen Marcus Jackson and Robert Strichik both voted not in favor for the suspension of the rules, thus failing the suspension of the rules, and the council was not able to vote on the long-awaited redistricting.
The ordinance also failed to have a unanimous suspension of the rules at the Sept. 3 City Council meeting in a 3-3 vote.
In the Aug. 20 city council meeting, the council heard from Autauga County Probate Judge Kim Kervin. At that time, she stated the sooner the plan gets to her office the better. This is to ensure the process of putting in the new addresses and establishing polling locations in each newly drawn district is done before next year’s council election.
Kervin stated that for their process, it is easier to have the information about a year out to ensure not only accuracy but to give the probate office time to check and verify addresses for the election that is now less than a year away.
Municipal redistricting occurs after each Census, which happens every 10 years. Local officials are required to redraw the boundaries of their districts to best represent their constituents, from which people elect the City Council, and to account for population and demographic shifts since the previous census.
Due to the recent 2020 census and a large population influx, the City of Prattville has continued the process of redistricting they started the in June of 2021.
The last redistricting map was adopted in the 2010 census, Prattville City Planner Scott Stephens stated in a previous meeting. The redistricting needs to happen to ensure the one person one vote principle within each district. This is to ensure that every vote is heard within each district.
Once the map is voted on, and everything is submitted to the probate office, information will be sent to each voter in all districts. That will include information on how and where to cast a vote and other pertinent municipal election information.
Corrected Oct. 3, 2024
