The Bulloch County Board of Elections held its monthly meeting today at 1:30 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Room in the Bulloch County Annex. The Board meets the second Monday of each month at 1:30 p.m.
Board Member Attendees:
Theresa Jackson, Chair
Matt Daughtry, Vice-Chair
Jim Benton, Secretary
County Officials:
Venus Mincey-White, Clerk
Shontay Jones, Election Supervisor
The meeting was called to order at 1:33 p.m. by Theresa Jackson, Chair.
Matt Daughtry made a motion to approve the minutes from the March meeting. Jim Benton offered a second, and the motion was approved unanimously.
Report by Shontay Jones, Election Supervisor
Ms. Jones stated that there have been issues with ballots being wrong during the proofing stage. A total of 168 ballot styles (combinations) have to be approved before they can be ordered. She anticipates another 1.5 days before the ballots can be ordered. They are trying to get the ballots back so that they can start sending absentee ballots on April 22, the first day they can be sent out.
Once the ballots are approved, she can provide sample ballots online and to the news media. They can then also begin programming the machines with the new ballots and conducting logistics and accuracy testing on the machines.
She stated that the March 12th election was successful but with a low voter turnout.
She addressed a letter presented by the Bulloch County Democratic Party and a resolution presented by the Bulloch County Republican Party, both of which can be seen at the end of this article. While both addressed the need for additional early voting locations, the Democratic Party also addressed the concern for additional parking for early voting at the Annex.
Ms. Jones expressed concern about not having enough workers for additional early-voting locations. A majority of election workers only want to work on election day, not early voting. She stated that three poll workers did not attend an orientation with human resources earlier today. She provided an example of the Nevils precinct being short-staffed for election day, and one of her staff members had to work there.
Questions and Comments from the Audience
Cassandra Mikell stated that a person known to her had submitted an application online but had not received a response. Ms. Jones asked that the person’s name be shared after the meeting. Ms. Jones also stated that people can submit applications online to be poll workers.
Ms. Jones shared that the Honey Bowen Building is not a guarantee for early voting for every primary, but November is guaranteed.
Jessica Orvis asked if there would be enough poll workers for the May election. Ms. Jones stated that she did not know yet because she has been proofing ballots for 11 hours a day for the last couple of weeks.
Len Fatica stated that he had concerns about House Bills 1207 and 974.
House Bill 1207 would require that candidates or their agents review the ballots after proofing by the election superintendent. It also requires poll watchers to be able to observe everything as closely as possible in their precinct and access polling places, advance voting locations, tabulation centers, and locations where absentee ballots are being verified, processed, adjudicated, and scanned. Further, it requires that non-partisan qualifying be extended until 5 p.m. on the following Tuesday if no one qualifies for that position by noon on the preceding Friday.
House Bill 974 would require security features on ballots that can be used to authenticate a ballot, one that would have to be a watermark. It also requires that scanned copies of paper ballots be provided to the Secretary of State, who must post those as digital images by 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday following an election. It also sets standards for audits and which races should be audited.
Delinda Gaskins asked how much poll workers make. Ms. Shontay Jones stated that new workers now make $10 an hour and work approximately 15-17 hours total for their first election, 3.5 of which would be in orientation and training. Poll managers and assistant poll managers must take additional training.
Election Board Questions and Comments
Matt Daughtry asked Ms. Shontay Jones when the deadline for poll workers to apply was. Ms. Jones stated that May 10 would most likely be the cutoff for the May 21st primary. She noted that the process included two required consent forms to be approved by HR, plus a background check by the Sheriff’s Department.
Jim Benton asked how many poll workers were available. Ms. Jones stated that she did not know but could email that answer to him. Mr. Benton followed up and asked how many she would like to have. Ms. Jones stated that it would be approximately 25 workers.
Theresa Jackson stated that she appreciated the work done by Ms. Jones. Shontay asked that everyone please pray for her, her staff, and the election workers during this busy election year.
Final Actions
The next Board of Elections meeting will be held on Monday, May 13, 2024 at 1:30 p.m.
A motion to adjourn was by Matt Daughtry and a second by Jim Benton. The motion was approved unanimously.
Read the letter from Bulloch County Democratic Committee
Read the resolution from the Bulloch GOP
