Report: Portsmouth Democratic Committee

I went to the Portsmouth Democratic Committee meeting last night. What an amazing meeting! My hat’s off to chairwoman, Court Clerk Cynthia Morrison, for conducting an energetic, enthusiatic meeting.

The PDC is sponsoring a Candidate Forum on Thursday, May 31, 2007 (see attached flyer). Open to all, the forum includes the Democratic candidates in the Portsmouth/Chesapeake area, including those candidates who will be in the primary on June 12.

Speaking of the primary, Portsmouth finds itself in a bit of a unique situation. First, like in 2005, there will be both a Republican and a Democratic primary on the same day. As the result, voters are going to have to ask which ballot they want. But here’s the kicker: some of the precincts will be closed, because the primary races don’t cover the entire city. Only those precincts in the 13th Senate District and/or the 79th House district will be open. Here is a listing of all of the precincts. My review indicates that the following precincts will be closed on June 12th:

• 01 – Emanuel A.M.E. Church
• 05 – Portsmouth Community Health Center
• 07 – Parkview Elementary School
• 09 – Third Baptist Church Fellowship Hall
• 13 – St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church
• 14 – Emily N. Spong Preschool Center
• 16 – Craddock Middle School
• 17 – Craddock United Methodist Church
• 19 – Fairview Heights Baptist Church
• 20 – Noble Street Baptist Church
• 21 – John F. Kennedy Community Center
• 26 – Waters Middle School
• 27 – Cavalier Manor Recreation center
• 28 – Lakeview Elementary School

All of these precincts are represented by either Senator Louise Lucas (18th Senate District) or Senator Mamie Locke (2nd Senate district) or Delegate Ken Melvin (80th district). If your current representatives are Senator Fred Qualye (13th) or Delegate Johnny Joannou (79th), your precinct will be open.

Whew! Is this a perfect example of why we need redistricting reform? Man, I’m glad I’m not the Portsmouth Registrar. I suspect that phone will be ringing off the hook on June 12.