Come Aug. 24, some voters will be required to head to new polling locations to cast their votes after Osceola County officials consolidated a number of precincts.

Twenty-one precincts were merged with nearby precincts. County commissioners approved the consolidation at their Dec. 21 meeting.

The consolidation reduces the number of precincts from 118 to 95.

Supervisor of Elections Mary Jane Arrington said 27,980 voters would be affected by the change, about 20 percent of the county’s registered voters.

The move comes after a request from the Osceola County School District asking the Supervisor of Elections office to reduce the number polling sites at elementary schools.

"Although under the Florida state statutes, we have the right to use schools as polling locations, we wanted to accommodate the superintendent’s request that we not use schools as polling locations as much as possible,” Arrington said.

In addition, the move will also “get rid of substandard locations,” Arrington said, such as sites with small spaces, limited handicap accessibility and insufficient parking.

The merger of precincts will save the county between $50,000 and $70,000.

"This plan saves money,” Arrington said. “We’re trying to cut our budget every way we can.”

Among the precincts being consolidated is precinct 63 in Buenaventura Lakes, which will be merged with precinct 64 and have its polling site at the BVL library branch, and precinct 82 in St. Cloud, which will be merged with precincts 85 and 86 at the First Baptist Church polling location.

Residents can find their assigned voter precincts on their voter registration cards, or by calling the Supervisor of Elections office.

Some of the county’s busiest precincts will remain, Arrington said, adding that the level of service on Election Day would not be affected.

Arrington said notices would be sent out to voters by the end of this month informing them of the change and the location of their precinct polling locations. The information also will be included in mailed sample ballots.

State primary elections are scheduled for Aug. 24, with the general election on Nov. 2.

This year, Osceola County voters will select county commissioners for seats 2 and 4 and School Board members for seats 1 and 4. In Kissimmee, city commissioner seats 2 and 4 are up for grabs. The St. Cloud mayoral election also will be decided.

Statewide, Floridians will head to the polls to vote for a new governor, attorney general, chief financial officer and commissioner of agriculture. Florida voters also will choose a new U.S. senator.