If the town had grown to 16,001 people, it would have had to add another precinct.
Enrico J. VillamainoEAST LONGMEADOW – The population in town has grown more than 11 percent in the last 10 years, according to the 2010 Census Bureau.
The Board of Selectmen discussed Tuesday whether the growth would require adding another precinct for elections.
“Although we have seen a significant increase in population, we did not make it to 16,000, which means we do not have to add another precinct,” said Board of Selectmen member Enrico J. Villamaino.
The town went from 14,100 in 2000 to 15,720 in 2010.
“I think we were the suburb with the largest increase in Hampden County,” Villamaino said.
The town has four precincts. If the town had grown to more than 16,000 residents, another precinct would be required.
“The law does not allow us to have more than 4,000 people per precinct. So if we had gone to 16,001 we would have had to add a precinct,” Villamaino said.
The board rearrange some of the neighborhoods. In future elections, voters might find that they are listed under a different precinct.
“It has to be approved by the state first, and we will be sure to post it on the town website and provide other notices before it happens,” he said.
The precinct change will not have a significant impact on voters, since there is currently one polling location for all four precincts.
“For some folks, it will simply be a matter of moving to a different line at the polls. There will not be any major changes,” he said.