Mar 27, 2026 By Mike Jones 4 min read

Peters Township could be carved out of the Washington County Elections Board’s overall plan to consolidate precincts and merge polling places in more than a dozen municipalities ahead of the May 19 primary election.

During a nearly three-hour hearing before Judge Michael Lucas at the Washington County Courthouse, testimony and arguments were heard both for and against the consolidation plan and whether the rest of the proposal could be approved if Peters Township is excluded.

The plan would reduce the number of polling places in the county from 180 down to 156, which would affect the communities of California, Charleroi, Cross Creek Township, Donora, Fallowfield Township, Independence Township, Monongahela, Mount Pleasant Township, Robinson Township, Smith Township, Union Township, Washington and West Finley Township. But no polling places would be eliminated in Peters Township, although the precinct map would change to conform with the municipality’s population shift following the 2020 Census.

Elections Director Melanie Ostrander testified that officials want to consolidate precincts due to dangerous conditions at some polling locations, the lack of poll workers available and dwindling voter numbers in some areas.

“The population in the Mon Valley has declined, and we expect it to continue to decline. Donora is one of our hardest areas to staff with poll workers,” Ostrander said of the proposal to go from five precincts in that borough down to two, with both being located in the municipal building. “That is one of the areas where it’s getting harder to find people.”

At least 10 polling locations are not ADA compliant, making it more difficult for people with special needs to vote. But she also pointed specifically to one of Fallowfield Township’s voting locations, where the building had broken windows, was boarded up in some places and had a “severe mold problem” that could endanger voters and election workers.

Municipal officials in Fallowfield, Cross Creek, West Finley and Charleroi have specifically asked the elections board to downsize the number of locations, Ostrander said.

“We’ve been having concerns that some (private) locations no longer want to be involved (hosting the polling places),” Ostrander said.

But Peters Township officials have a different viewpoint, with its council voting Monday night to formally object to its inclusion in the consolidation plan. Township solicitor John Smith filed paperwork objecting to the proposal and argued that it should not be enacted in such a “short window of time” less than eight weeks before the May 19 primary election.

Smith said the last-minute changes could have “negative implications” if the elections office is not able to notify all voters in time that the precincts boundaries and polling locations have changed. Ostrander said affected voters would be sent new voter registration identification cards with information about their new precinct and the address to their new polling place.

“There is no urgency here to do this now,” Smith said. “We want to make sure all people have the appropriate notice.”

Attorneys representing three Peters Township residents and Republican state Senate candidate Al Buchtan of Canonsburg also objected, although their arguments focused more on how the proposal was publicized and what the changes might mean for elected precinct committee positions for political parties.

Lucas seemed inclined to look at how the changes would affect each municipality individually rather than making a decision affecting the county’s entire petition.

“Is it all or nothing?” Lucas asked. “There are different issues for different places.”

Washington County solicitor Gary Sweat said there are clear issues at voting places across the county, which need immediate changes.

“We want voters to be safe. We want them to have access,” Sweat said. “Do any of those concerns include Peters? No.”

Both Sweat and Smith appeared open to Peters Township being carved out of this initial consolidation plan, and then having the township’s 12 precincts being realigned later this year or early next year before the 2027 primary.

“We support the county’s efforts,” Smith said. “We just don’t support the timeline.”

“The county is prepared to remove Peters Township from this petition,” Sweat said, adding that the township’s concerns should not affect the 13 other municipalities slated for precinct consolidation.

Lucas said he would review the changes for each municipality and return with a decision in an expedited manner with the primary election less than two months away.

“We know there are significant differences facing your municipalities and municipalities that are struggling … to staff their precincts,” Lucas said.

A full list of the proposed precinct changes for each individual municipality can be found on the county elections office’s website at www.washingtoncopa.gov/elections.