The Summit County Elections Board has decided to increase the number of precincts from the reduced number of 298 it utilized in the November presidential election . Elections Director Joe Masich tells AkronNews Now one reason for the decision. " Three of the large municipalities in the county, Akron, Barberton and Cuyahoga Falls has redrawn through their councils, their ward boundaries, so they need to be redrawn regardless.

Masich says there is a second reason for the decision to once again increase the number of precincts, " There has been an increase in some of the precincts that we re-did last year from heavy voter registration drives in the presidential election that have increased the numbers beyond what the ohio revised code allows for active voters."

Masich says due to heavy voter turnout some precincts were overwhelmed by the increased number of voters they had to handle.

Masich says the county though will not go back to the original 475 precincts it had before trimming the number to cut costs before the November election. The number of precincts will be increased to between 370 and 400 for the September municipal primaries.