Warren County seeks public input on weighted vote changes
Additional seat could be added to Board of Supervisors
WARREN COUNTY, N.Y. – The Warren County Board of Supervisors wants to hear from Warren County residents as to how the Board of Supervisors should adjust weighted voting in light of the results of the 2020 U.S. Census.
Voting among the 20-member Board of Supervisors is done via a weighted system that divvies up voting power equally among supervisors proportional to the population of the municipality they represent. The supervisors currently split 1,000 votes.
A 4.5% increase in population in the town of Queensbury will require the Board of Supervisors to choose between two options in re-calculating the weighted votes of Queensbury supervisors. This could either result in more weighted votes for each of the five current supervisors who represent the town on the Board of Supervisors, or the addition of a sixth supervisor with the same total weighted votes for Queensbury split up instead among six supervisors.
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to discuss the two options at its next meeting on Friday, October 15th, starting at 10 a.m. The board will schedule a public hearing for a future meeting as another avenue for the public to comment on which option supervisors decide to pursue.
“This change should not be made lightly and it will impact voting on the entire board for the next decade, which is why it is so important to hear from Warren County residents,” said Rachel Seeber, Chairwoman of the Warren County Board of Supervisors and a Queensbury at-Large Supervisor. “Since our country’s first Census in 1790, every 10 years we the people, stop, reflect and adjust. As elected representatives we are accountable to the people and we should go above and beyond to make sure that representation in Warren County is equitable, impartial and in accordance with the law.”
Overall, the 2020 Census found that Warren County’s population increased by 130 residents between 2010 and 2020. Horicon, Queensbury and Glens Falls gained residents, while the remaining towns saw population drops.
Comments on the two voting options can be submitted via email to warrencountystrong@warrencountyny.gov.
Those who wish to comment at Board of Supervisors meetings can do so in person as well, or those wishing to send comments in writing can mail correspondence to Warren County Board of Supervisors, 1340 Route 9, Lake George, 12845, Attn: Weighted vote change.
More information on the issue can be found by viewing this archived Board of Supervisors committee meeting video on YouTube, starting at the 23-minute mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpvaRKiGZGI.
Board of Supervisors meetings are also livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/c/WarrenCountyNewYork.