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At a special meeting of the City Council May 18th there were present:
<br />
<br />Messrs-- Vernon Brooks, J. C. ~mtth, J. H. Hall, Jr.,
<br /> R. A. Hutchins, Jr., J. Alden Oast, L. G. White,
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<br />The following directions were read for the special meeting:
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<br />"Portsmouth, Va., May 16th, 1921.
<br />
<br />L.-C. Brinson~
<br />City Clerk & Auditor,
<br /> City.
<br />
<br />"Dea~ Sir:--
<br /> You will please ~0~lt:. a special meeting of the City Council for Wednesday,
<br />
<br />May 18th, at 8 o'clock P~ M., to consider a request from the Electoral Board that Jackson
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<br />be divided into two voting precincts.
<br />
<br />"Very respectfully,
<br />
<br />"R. A. Hutchins, Jr., President."
<br />
<br /> The "call" having bee~ read, the following communio&tion was read fr~m the Electoral
<br />Board:
<br /> "Portsmouth, Virginia, May 17th, 1981.
<br /> "The Hon. President ~nd Members of the City Council,
<br /> Portsmouth, Va.
<br />
<br /> "Gentlemen:--
<br /> O~ account of the increased number of voters now in Jackson Ward, this. City~
<br />we respectfully ialbmit that it has now become necessary to establish two voting precincts i'm
<br />said ward. We therefore respectfully petition your honorable body To establish ~wo such pre-
<br />cincts, same to go into effect by the date of the coming primary to be held on the 2~th. of
<br />this month.
<br />
<br /> "We would respectfully refer you to Section 11~, page ~5, 'Virgi~ta Election Laws,' which
<br />reads in pa~t a~ follows:
<br /> 'The council of'a city shall establish for each wars as many election districts as it
<br />may deem necessary, and a voting place ~n each district (but so that the~e shall not be less
<br />than one election district for every thousand voters or fractional part thereof above five
<br />hundred).'
<br />
<br /> "The same. condition exists in Marshall Ward. HOwever, the poll-books are mot sub-divided
<br />into two precincts as is the case in Jackson Ward, and it is our opinion that the books in
<br />the former wa~d should be so arranged as to permit of two precincts as soon as possible.
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<br />"Respectfully,
<br />
<br />City Electoral Board,
<br />
<br />By P. J. Riley, Secretary,~
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<br /> In this oomueotion a petition was read from certain voters of Jefferson Ward, which
<br />had been submitted to the Council in April, 1920, petitio~ing th~ enactment of am ordinance
<br />changing the Wa~d lines betwee~ Jefferson Ward and Jackson Ward to the east side of Dinwiddie
<br />street, in order to make a more equitable distribution of the qualified voters in said Wards.
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<br /> At this point, the privilege of the floor was' granted to Geo. R. Parrish, a member of
<br />the Electoral Board, who spoke in favor of dividing Jackson Wa~d into two precincts. ~
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<br /> Then Mr. White moved that Jackson Ward be divided into two precincts, the center of
<br />Cou~t street to be the dividing line~
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<br />The motion was adopted by the following vote:
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<br /> Ayes-- B~, ~mith, HAll, Hutchins, Oast, l~hite, ~.
<br /> Nays-- Brooks, 1.
<br /> Mr. Hall maved thmt the Council act as a Committee of the Whole to .consider
<br />lng of the City. The motion was adopted.
<br />
<br />the redtstr4~-
<br />
<br />On motion~ adjourned.
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