Analysis of run-off elections yesterday: Not today, maybe tomorrow. Frankly, there’s something bigger to talk about.

What’s with all those “precincts” in Palm Beach Gardens? Fifty (50) of them? Really? More on that in a little bit.

Frankly people are tired of elections right now, the near constant buzz of late and need a rest, myself included. However, congratulations are in order to Commissioner Mack McCray in the City of Boynton Beach, Councilor Ron Delaney in the Town of Jupiter, and Rachelle Litt for the open seat election in the City of Palm Beach Gardens.

But watching the election results roll-in last night was surprised to hear about the high voter turnout. The turnout on March 14th was dismal and the trend should have been even more so. But it wasn’t. Interesting.

Then. . .

I just happened to look over the precincts reporting and was startled to see this, the number of precincts:

• Boynton Beach: 7 (1 district race)
• Jupiter: 29 (one district race here too)
• Palm Beach Gardens: 50 in “Group 5”?

Just 2 cities and a town in Palm Beach County for one run-off: Eighty-six (86) precincts in all. Use this link to see the list of precincts in this County, literally “off the charts”, from 1002 to 8002. And remember, a precinct is not always a, or 1, voting location. In some cases a voting location can have multiple precincts vote there.

However, how much does it cost to have 86 precincts? How much time and effort does it take to organize all this? “Mabel, why do we have thirty-two precincts around here?” (And remember, when it comes to “precincts” and where to vote on election day, we had that little issue here in the City of Lake Worth.)

Why so may precincts? And then. . .

Looking at the editorial page in The Palm Beach Post today, the very first Letter to the Editor was titled,

“Don’t suppress vote; make it easier to do”

The letter ends with these 2 lines:

“Let’s not further restrict the vote. Let’s increase participation.”

So, let’s start that discussion how to increase the voter turnout in Palm Beach County. Wouldn’t the best place to start be the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) office? Begin talk about possibly reorganizing the SOE and streamline what needs to be simpler? It’s not the 20th Century any more.