About 500 Penn Township residents will have new voting ward in 2024

New boundaries for Penn Township’s five voting wards are set to go into effect Jan. 1.

Judge Harry Smail on Thursday approved an order authorizing the Westmoreland County Elections Bureau to revise and alter the voting districts after a months long process to redraw the boundaries. His ruling came at the end of a brief hearing on the matter.

Linda Carpellotti, quality assurance manager with the county, testified that Penn Township was required to examine its voting districts in line with data from the 2020 Census.

“Due to covid, the data was delayed,” she said.

The changes will affect about 500 residents who will have a new voting ward, polling place and township commissioner who represents them. Township commissioners this year approved an updated ward map.

Carpellotti testified that the new map was the best solution and it doesn’t cause any undue burden on voters or disenfranchise anyone.

Penn Township ihas about 20,000 residents. In updating the ordinance, township officials previously said they tried to make sure there’s close to even numbers of residents in each ward as they contend with population growth.

Estimates for 2022 showed the township gained about 500 people since 2010, according to census data. No members of the public were present at Thursday’s hearing to contest it.