AUGUSTA, Georgia (WRDW / WAGT) – Things are changing in the elections for Richmond County. We reached out to the county electoral office for an update on what the elections will look like when Georgia’s new electoral laws go into effect on the first of next month.
There are currently seven lawsuits pending against Georgia’s new electoral laws. All parts of the law will come into effect on July 1st, unless the courts decide to repeal the law.
The Foreign Minister’s Office has clarified some sections of the new law as listed below:
Monitoring the waiting time for voters to check in
The Foreign Minister’s Office requires all polling stations to report waiting times for any election, not just parliamentary elections. This information helps us know which locations need more support or need to make changes.
Dropbox monitoring
Personal monitoring was intended. Postbox location surveillance must have adequate lighting and be under constant surveillance by an election officer or his agent, a law enforcement officer, or a licensed security officer. Since the mailbox can only be opened during the pre-voting times, we can appoint an election officer who is responsible for monitoring the mailbox.
Dropboxing in general
- Mailboxes must be placed in the office of the electoral board or at the location of the area code center.
- The box may only be open during the pre-voting times. The box must be emptied and secured daily at the end of the pre-voting.
- All Dropboxes must be permanently closed after the pre-voting period has expired.
Duplication fields
If the county party does not appoint anyone to the duplication panel, the election officer should appoint citizens to the panel. The body must have the same partisan composition as required by law – a Democrat, a Republican, and an agent of the electoral superintendent.
complain
There are currently 7 active lawsuits related to the legislation. We have no way of knowing what will change as a result of the lawsuits.
Effective Date
All parts of the legal provisions come into force on July 1st, 2021, unless otherwise deleted or changed by the court.
Richmond County Voter Registration Update January 1-June 1, 2021.
- 8,000 voter registration applications processed through the Department of Driver Services
- 643 voter registration applications processed via the online voter registration portal processed
- 3,200 voter registration requests processed by mail or voter registration drives
- 179 removals for criminal offenses
- 227 death parades
- 95,311 transactions in total
Changes to the voting in Minnick Park
On March 12, the city of Augusta Parks and Recreation Department reported that the Minnick Park facility had suffered structural damage in the first half of 2021 due to soil sedimentation and excessive rainfall that made the building structurally unsafe for use. With an election in just four days, the board moved Minnick Park district voters to a neighboring polling site at the Henry Brigham Center for the March 16 special election. Since then, staff have worked to evaluate alternative facilities within the district for a possible polling site. It is clear that staying at Minnick Park is not an option and it is likely that there will be special elections on November 2nd.
During its meeting yesterday evening, the Board of Directors scheduled a public hearing on the matter to be held in conjunction with its regular monthly meeting on July 12th at 6:00 pm. Following the public hearing, the board is expected to consider the permanent move of the voters to a new facility. After the final vote, all affected voters will be notified.
Copyright 2021 WRDW / WAGT. All rights reserved.
