Summerville Town Council is scheduled to take a first vote on new council district boundaries at its meeting Wednesday.

To complement the required redistricting process, Mayor Bill Collins is also recommending the town move its elections to November instead of May.

Redistricting occurs after each decennial Census as a way to balance the populations in each district. Dorchester County completed its redistricting last fall and recently announced its map received U.S. Department of Justice approval.

In the fall, the town sent its new Census data to the S.C. Office of Research and Statistics, which created a potential map and returned it to the town.

Council members commented on the map and returned it to ORS, which then created a second map and, after more comments, a third map that will be presented and discussed Wednesday.

Councilman Aaron Brown, who represents the town’s only majority-minority district, said the numbers for that district didn’t appear to have changed much.

He asked that Bobby Bowers, director of ORS, appear at a council meeting so the council could ask questions before making a final decision.

Collins said Bowers or a member of his staff would be at the March meeting, at which the town will also hold a public hearing, although staff members said a public hearing isn’t required.

Collins said council members discussed the maps informally because that’s what council has always done, and the town isn’t alone in handling redistricting that way.

Councilman Walter Bailey said he and Councilman Bob Jackson worked out swapping a neighborhood because Jackson wanted The Bridges of Summerville.

Collins also returned to the idea first broached by former Dorchester County Elections Executive Director Joe Debney in 2010.

Debney wanted the town to move its elections to November of odd-numbered years, figuring voter turnout would increase because people are used to voting in November.

The town deferred any action until after the May 2011 election, which brought in two new council members and a new mayor.

Collins said having the election in November would relieve the town of some responsibility because the county election commission would run the election and send the town a bill for poll workers.

Polling locations would also change to coincide with the usual general election polling places, he said.

Councilman Bill McIntosh said the extended press coverage of elections in November – when Charleston, North Charleston and Mt. Pleasant also elect officials – would help encourage turnout.

He also reminded council members that sitting council members’ terms would have to be extended by six months to coincide with a new election date.

To see the proposed redistricting map, go to the town’s website at www.summerville.sc.us. On the right side of the screen, under “news” is a link to a PDF file of the map.

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