COLUMBUS, Ind. — New political precincts, as well as redrawn districts for three Bartholomew County commissioners and four county council members, received preliminary approval Monday.
The commissioners plan to take a final vote on the proposal at 10 a.m. Dec. 20.
Two factors prompted most of the changes, Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz said. One was the approval of new congressional districts signed into law Oct. 4 that splits Bartholomew County into two districts.
The 9th district, now represented by Joseph A. “Trey” Hollingsworth, R-Jeffersonville, will now include all of Jackson, Ohio and Wayne townships, as well as the southern part of Sandcreek Township. A new precinct has been created out of the northern part of Sandcreek Township, including Elizabethtown, that will be known as Precinct 5350, Lentz said.
That new precinct, as well as the remainder of Bartholomew County and the entire city of Columbus, will all be part of the 2nd Congressional District represented by Rep. Greg Pence, R-Columbus.
While these new congressional districts played a small role in redrawing county boundaries, most changes were necessitated by several annexations that have taken place over the past 10 years, Lentz said.
