HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – The Hinds County Board of Supervisors is getting pushback amid moves to merge several precincts across the county.

On February 5, Hinds County supervisors voted to approve multiple precinct mergers across the county. Precincts 54 through 57, 60, 61, 73 and 74 would be impacted.

State Rep. Zakiya Summers (D-District 68) represents many of those precincts and is worried about the impact this could have on her constituents.

“Time that people have to take to figure out how they’re going to get transportation to a precinct if they know about the change. Time that they may have to stand in line because you’re going to be an increased number of voters at that precinct and then time that they’re taking away from either their family or their job in lost wages. The move to merge and close these precincts amounts to voter suppression,” said Summers.

This decision by the board could also impact Summers’ standing at a state representative through House Bill 1655. The bill passed the House and has been referred to the Senate Elections Committee.

“It says that if you cannot show a record of voting in your district for two years, you can be disqualified from the ballot. If this move continues and my precinct is moved to Black’s Chapel, then I will be effectively voting in another represents district, which means I would not have a record of two years worth of voting in my own district. I really think the board needs to go back to the table, reconsider and rethink all of the impacts that are involved in this action. And then we need to have some conversation with the community to give the community an opportunity to give input,” said Summers.

The board’s February vote was held on a motion Tuesday morning by Supervisor Wanda Evers, District 4. She originally voted to merge the precincts, but Evers said she has changed her mind after seeing the possible impacts.

A vote to rescind the precinct changes will be held at the next Hinds County Board of Supervisors meeting on Monday, April 1.