Less than one month after the Board of Elections approved rearranging Forsyth County’s voter precincts, the changes have taken effect.

“It did not take us as long as I thought it was going to,” Barbara Luth, elections supervisor, told the board during a meeting Monday. “There [are] a few streets that we have to research, but other than that, it’s done.”

The new setup, which reduces the number of precincts from 25 to 16 and move some voting locations, has been estimated to save the county about $15,000 per election. It will, however, impact many residents.

The Browns Bridge precinct in northeast Forsyth underwent the most changes, merging with the Chestatee and Pleasant Grove precincts.

Some polling locations have shifted, such as the Mashburn Precinct, which also includes Riverclub, where voting will now be conducted at Lanier United Methodist Church.

As a result of the changes, voting will no longer take place in any of the county’s schools, a measure board members said likely will be more convenient for all involved.

Previously, voters often had to wait through carpool lines to cast their ballots. The switch should also help keep schools safer.

“We’re going to benefit in getting out of the schools,” said board member Donald Glover. “In today’s world, we don’t need to be inviting strangers into schools.”

And the changes don’t apply to just campuses. Among the other locations that will no longer be used as polling sites are Chattahoochee Riverclub Clubhouse, Eastgate Church, Mayfield Baptist Church and Sharon Forks Library.

The precinct shakeup was instituted after at least five public meetings and several adjustments.

Board member Doug Sorrells said elections staff members have “done pretty well all we can do,” to reach out to the public about the matter.