Swartz Creek View

City council approves new district/precinct map




FLUSHING — Flushing’s map of districts and voting precincts will look slightly different in 2022, following the results of the 2020 U.S. Census and subsequent redistricting by the city.

On Jan. 10, Flushing City Council approved a newly redistricted map submitted by the city’s Election Commission. District and precinct boundaries were redrawn to correspond with demographic changes indicated in the Census.

With the majority of the city’s residents now choosing to vote absentee, the Election Commission also opted to reduce the city’s precincts from five to four. Two voting precincts will be available at Bella Birches on 606 N. McKinley Road, while Flushing United Methodist Church on 413 E. Main Street will host the other two precincts.

Flushing City Clerk Michelle King said that having one less precinct will decrease the cost of elections, reduce the number of scanner machines needed to run elections and reduce set-up fees. She also said that the new map reflects the city’s demographic changes, while preserving the same number of four districts.

“In this map, no one loses their seat, and everyone (on the council) stays in the same district,” she said. “It also equalizes the number of voters better than the last map did, taking into account that some areas of the city have grown, while others have not.”

King said that precinct and district boundary lines have been aligned in the new map to eliminate confusion and make it easier for voters to identify which precinct they belong to.

Residents will still be able to vote for all six city councilpersons and mayor, regardless of which district they live in.

Lines were redrawn in the city based on six criteria: compactness, contiguity, equal population, preservation of existing political communities, partisan fairness and racial fairness.

Flushing’s population rose slightly in the 2020 Census, increasing by 22 residents from 8,389 to 8,411.

To view a draft of the city’s redistricted map, visit flushingcity.com.