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Suffolk City Council unanimously approved boundary amendments during their Wednesday, May 15, meeting at City Hall that will increase the number of voters in JFK by shifting them from the White Marsh precinct.

Deputy City Manager Kevin Hughes provided an overview of the changes to the precincts prior to the public hearing. There was nothing presented during the public hearing.

“We’ve outlined essentially two neighborhoods or portions of neighborhoods where voters live just over kind of the JFK precinct into the White Marsh, and what that does, it has those folks that are highlighted in red when they go to vote, they’re going all the way down Hosier Road to vote at the church versus the closer location at JFK Middle School,” Hughes said. “I know we’ve heard a request for that and why City Council wanted to motion for this public hearing. And so, those areas in red are really the voters that we’re identifying, and that will be impacted, I think, positively if this moves forward.”

The potential precinct will impact 371 votes, moving them from White Marsh to JFK. The JFK precinct will increase from 2,651 to 3,022 voters, while White Marsh will decrease from 1,164 down to 793 voters.

Hughes says that an advertisement for the hearing was posted on the website as well as having a display board in the lobby for “a little over a month” prior to the hearing.