Lowndes County set to be split in half if it meets the Voting Rights Act of 1965
(AP) -- Lowndes County voters have approved a change that would give the south Georgia county five voting commissioners and a non-voting commission chairman.
Voters on Tuesday approved the change from the county's current system of three district commissioners and a non-voting chairman by a nearly two-to-one margin.
The plan would split Lowndes County in half, creating east and west superdistricts overlapping the three existing districts.
It is now up to the U.S. Department of Justice to determine if the plan meets the requirements of the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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