The Common Pleas Court of Washington County has made its decision on the request by the Washington County Board of Elections to close 24 precincts and realign the voting districts in Peters Township. In an order released on Monday, Judge Michael Lucas is granting the closure of 24 precincts across 14 municipalities. During testimony last Thursday, Director of Elections Melanie Ostrander stated that Americans With Disabilities Act issues, dilapidated buildings, building availability and precinct staffing issues all contributed to the safety and convenience of voters in the affected precincts. Peters Township had their realignment request denied. Lucas pointed to the “Good Cause” clause in the voting code. It states that precincts should be between 100 and 1200 voters. In each of Peters Township’s districts, voting numbers would exceed 1200 voters. In some cases, precincts would exceed limits by 50%. The order states that Peters Township needs to file a new petition at a later date to offer evidence as to why their precincts should exceed limits set by the voting code. Four individual objectors, three from Peters Township, asked the court to dismiss the request to realign. Their assertion was that timing of a decision to realign districts could suppress their vote. The judge found no basis of that, indicating that nearly seven weeks prior to the primary election on May 19 is plenty of time for notice of change. Their argument is moot as the decision to realign Peters Township precincts was denied.