Northwest Georgia election officials prepare for voters and ask for help

Northwest Georgia election officials have been busy preparing for the May 24 primary, which will be conducted slightly differently than in previous years due to changes enacted by state legislatures a little over a year ago.

Officials gathered at a conference hosted by the Georgia State Department in Athens late last month to learn about the changes local elections or they had a special election.

“So this conference should go through all the changes … just to make sure everyone is aware of any changes in the law,” she said.

Topics included working with election observers, as well as voting ballots, audits and recounts, she said.

The Georgia Election Integrity Act of 2021 limited mailbox availability, shortened the period during which voters can request early voting, expanded early voting, and required more staff at some polling stations to avoid long waits, among other things.

(READ MORE: Judge refuses to file lawsuits against Georgia’s election law)

The Georgia General Assembly is considering additional election legislation as part of House Bill 1464. On Tuesday, a state Senate committee scrapped most of what was planned for HB 1464, in part in response to opposition from election officials concerned about the increased workload.

Provisions removed from the bill included ballot chain of custody requirements, ballot inspection permits and expanded investigative powers for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Staying on the bill was a requirement for employers to take time off for early voting.

(READ MORE: Georgia Senators Throw Out Proposal for More Election Rules)

Currently, Moore said, her office is busy reviewing ballots that are scheduled to be mailed out by April 25.

Last year’s legislation requires voters to submit a new application to vote by mail, and Moore said the window to apply for a ballot-by-mail has been reduced from six months to 78 days. What’s different about the ballot is that voters are now required to provide their driver’s license and date of birth. The application must be signed. A stamp or computer-printed signature is not allowed, she said.

The application will be checked based on the date of birth and signature, Moore said.

“We used to have to verify postal votes with a signature when they came in. Now it’s the Georgia driver’s license and date of birth,” she said.

The electoral office has the right to check if they have reason to believe it isn’t their signature, she said.

“Just make sure for the public that they know the last day they can apply for a ballot. It has now been changed to 11 days before the election. The very last day on which we can send out the ballot is May 13th. They used to have that [until] May 20,” Moore said.

Statewide, drop boxes are only available during early voting from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m. and are located in the building, Moore said. The new law also added an additional Saturday voting day, Moore said. Saturday’s voting will take place on May 7th and 14th.

Moore said her office is also training poll workers and needed 44 more for the upcoming polling season earlier this week.

To do the job, one must be a United States citizen, a county resident, be able to speak, read and write English, and not be a public official, relative of a public official, or a felon. If someone gets an exemption from the county they live in, they can work as a poll worker in a neighboring county, she said.

Polling officers must work from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., while poll workers can work one of two shifts on election day. Call or visit the county’s website with questions about the election, but not questions about candidates — voters must do their own research, Moore said.

Walker County election assistant Chuck Fletcher said officials are trying to verify signatures on mail-in ballots and it’s a lot easier because they’ve had a lot less since the pandemic subsided. They had 50 or 60 applications for that election, he said over the phone earlier this week, and last year they had about 2,000.

Walker County needs fewer poll workers, he said, but will still accept people interested in the job.

“Even though we didn’t need anyone this time, it’s always good to have backups in case someone gets sick or something happens,” Fletcher said.

Some of the larger counties have Sunday elections, but Fletcher said it’s a lot of work for election officials because it means fewer days off for workers.

Dade County Elections Commissioner Lowanna Vaughan said in a phone interview her office still needs some poll workers for its seven polling stations.

Chattooga County chief registrar Sheena Weaver said by phone the office has all the poll workers needed for the upcoming election season. A recent change she noted was the consolidation of polling stations, reducing the number from 13 to seven.

Whitfield County Election Registrar Mary Hammontree said the office “always needs poll workers” in case someone is absent but doesn’t have an exact number. In a phone interview, she said pay varies by district, but employees earn $140 and training is paid by the hour.

When asked whether the new laws had made it easier or more difficult to vote based on the new electoral law, she said it was easier, especially with the options of staying open longer.

“It’s easier because we have more Saturdays to vote on and they give us an opportunity to stay open longer,” Hammontree said. “We won’t do Sundays, but there are ways to do Sundays too.”

Contact Andrew Wilkins at awilkins@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6659. Follow him on Twitter @tweetatwilkins.