Providence Village residents scrambled and met an earlier-than-expected deadline to submit an incorporation election petition.

Denton County Elections Administrator Frank Phillips certified Wednesday enough petition signatures for a proposition to incorporate Providence Village, putting the call for an election on the county commissioners’ agenda Tuesday.

Petition organizers needed 50 qualified signatures by Wednesday morning to call the election for May 8, although they brought in more than twice that amount, Phillips said.

Thinking they had until March 8, resident Clint Shipp said organizers had planned on circulating the petition among subdivision residents over the weekend.

“We wanted like 500 or 1,000 signatures, so we could make a statement,” Shipp said. “But we got it done.”

The group gathered more than 100 signatures Feb. 23.

Election officials were still working on the boundaries of the political subdivision to determine who would be eligible to vote on the proposition, Phillips said.

Because Providence Village lies in more than one voting precinct, there will be a special ballot for the election to incorporate. It will not be combined with any other election in the area.

The incorporation election will be held at the Providence clubhouse, a familiar place for residents who have voted in freshwater supply district elections.

Community organizers are focusing now on getting out the vote. Historically, all political subdivisions along U.S. Highway 380 have a low voter turnout, Shipp said.

“Even in the last school district election, which was so important for us along the U.S. 380 Corridor, only about 50 people voted,” Shipp said.

He attributed the problem to the fact that he and his neighbors don’t live in a traditional city, and to the different voting locations used for various elections — including the Copeland Government Center, Mustang Special Utility District offices and the Providence clubhouse.

County Commissioner Hugh Coleman said he didn’t expect much discussion about the proposition during the meeting Tuesday morning.

“It’s a great time for people who live in the area to choose how their future will be,” Coleman said.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.