Dana Muscott (City Clerk) and Cindy Luczak (County Clerk)

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Bay City Can Reduce Voting Precincts from 27 to 9, Says Clerk

Population Dropped 8.0 Percent Since 2000, to 33,874, State Estimates

December 11, 2010
By: Dave Rogers

The City of Bay City, because of a reduction in the number of voters, can reduce the number of voting precincts from 27 to 9.

City Clerk Dana Muscott said the city had 44 percent of the registered voters vote on November 2, 2010. This equates to 10,702 residents voting that day (this amount includes absentee voters.)

The registered voter total in the city is estimated at 24,000 and a precinct is generally about 3,000 voters.

County Clerk Cindy Luczak places the number of registered voters in the county at about 80,000. The total county population was estimated at about 109,000 in 2005 by Michigan State University Extension Service.

"The number of voters reinforces the need to consolidate the number of precincts for the city, which we plan to bring forward after the 1st of the new year," Ms. Muscott said.

"For the number of registered voters that the City has, we can reduce the number of precincts from 27 to 9, which is one precinct in each ward."

Current List of Bay City, MI Precincts

The secretary of state estimates the population of Bay County at 107,495 in latest figures, a decline of 2.4 percent since 2000. Bay City dropped an estimated 8.0 percent to a total of 33,874. Those are 2008 figures and perhaps fell further in the past two years, observers theorized, because of home foreclosures and high unemployment.

Other 2008 population estimates in the county include: Auburn, 2,031, a 1 percent hike since 2000; Bangor Charter Township, 15,154, a 2.5 percent drop; Hampton, 9,701, a decline of 2.0 percent; Monitor, 10,353, a 3.1 percent gain; Pinconning city, 1,314, down 5.2 percent; and Frankenlust, 3,023, a gain of 19.5 percent.

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