A lawsuit over a state law forcing the consolidation of small voting precincts in Lake County could soon be dismissed, an official said Friday. Lawyers representing the Indiana State Conference of the NAACP and a group of Lake County voters asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that said the forced consolidation of voting precincts could hamper Lake County residents’ rights. Jim Wieser, chairman of the Lake Democratic Central Committee, said there is no plan showing how precincts would be consolidated, so attorneys thought it would be best to dismiss the litigation until a proposal is put together. “Without a plan, it’s hard to argue in a court of law,” Wieser said.
Wieser said the lawsuit contemplated a consolidation plan moving forward. “One was just simply never adopted,” Wieser said.
The 2017 law required Lake County to develop a plan to consolidate voting precincts with fewer than 600 active voters.
The Legislature this year amended the law giving the Indiana Election Commission until July 1 to identify Lake County voter precincts with fewer than 600 active voters; and to see that precinct boundaries conflict with state standards, according to the bill amendment. The bills said if the commission cannot adopt a plan that duty will fall to the secretary of state.
Full Article: Lawsuit challenging Indiana law that forces voting precinct consolidation in Lake County could soon be dismissed – Post-Tribune.