The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office has received approval from the Hillsborough County Commission to reduce the number of voting precincts.

Once the request has been submitted, the Department of Justice has 60 days to approve or deny it.

Dr. Earl Lennard, Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections wants to reduce the number of polling locations from its current 285 to 270. The number of precincts will be reduced from 383 to 347 if the measure is approved.

The reduction would reportedly save the county $105,000 for the upcoming election cycle.

Dr. Lennard said, “With an increasing number of voters in Hillsborough County casting their ballots prior to Election Day, consolidating precincts not only enables us to save money for the county, but it also allows for the better utilization of resources for the other voting methods that are quickly gaining in popularity.”

Dr. Lennard is referring to voting by mail and early voting. The redrawing of the precinct lines that occur every 10 years because of the Census also played a role in the request.

Travis Abercrombie, spokesperson for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Office said that the precincts of most people will not change. However, he said every voter on the rolls in the county will receive a new voter registration card that will list the voter’s district, precinct, polling place, and other election related information.

He further said that the process of updating information is continuous and if a person moves, changes his or her name, they are requested to update their information with the Supervisor of Elections Office.