Long lines and long wait times greeted voters at the polls in Clarkesville on election day.
Habersham County consolidated its voting precincts two years ago, paring them down from fourteen to two. Since the county commission made that change there had not been a major election, until last week. While voters in Mt. Airy, Demorest and Baldwin cast ballots at their city precincts, all other city and county voters had to vote at either the Habersham North Precinct in Clarkesville or Habersham South Precinct in Cornelia. Lines at those precincts were steady throughout the day with peak wait times reaching close to three hours in Clarkesville.
Last Tuesday’s election was eye-opening for voters and local election officials alike. Superintendent of Elections Laurel Ellison says they expected there would be lines but no one anticipated them being as long as they were. Board of Elections Chairman Ernie Garrett says he has spoken with county commissioners and a number of voters who expressed their dismay over the long wait at the polls but, he adds, he doesn’t think consolidation is to blame. Garrett spoke with poll workers during the election and says a lack of workers and other resources at the consolidated precincts appears to have been the problem. “The primary thing that we looked at was the check-in time. The line backed-up when you checked in. It wasn’t the voting machines, there were plenty of those. There were machines we didn’t utilize because of the time it took to check-in.”
Garrett says the Board of Elections is exploring its options on how to improve Habersham’s voting process and speed up voter verification.
“We’re considering all options including more manpower, more computers and more printers. We want to utilize the potential of all the voting machines and adding those things would speed up check-in.” Garrett says if the Board of Elections decides to add more resources the money will have to come from the Habersham County Commission.
Newly-elected commissioner Victor Anderson says improving the county’s election process is a top priority. “I have heard from many people, both directly and indirectly, who had issues, faced delays and stood in long lines,” Anderson says. Though it’s too early to know what, if any changes, might be proposed by the Board of Elections Anderson says he is willing to support measures to make voting easier and less time consuming in Habersham. “First and foremost, we need to have adequate access for everyone to vote that is eligible. With that in mind, yes, if there were recommendations from that commission (Board of Elections) to make changes I would strongly consider that.”
With no formal recommendations yet on the table – the Board of Elections won’t meet again until December – accurate cost projections can’t yet be made. Still, local officials are determined to do something to make voting easier in Habersham. “I hear what people are saying and it needs to be addressed,” Anderson says. Personally, he supports the premise of consolidation but says two precincts might not be enough. “There should be a happy medium,” he says.
Garrett says although he’s not inclined to support adding more precincts – “I think the worst thing we could do at this point is move people around” – he says all options are on the table and will be discussed during the Board of Elections’ next meeting on December 18. That meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the basement of the old Habersham County courthouse. Garrett urges anyone with voting suggestions or concerns to contact the board prior to its meeting. You can do that by calling the Habersham County Elections and Registration Office at 706-839-0170 or by emailing your comments to Elections Superintendent Laurel Ellison at [email protected]. Anyone wishing to address the Board of Elections in person during next month’s meeting must be on the agenda. To get on the agenda contact Ellison at the number or email address listed above no later than December 1st.
Whatever steps the Board of Elections and County Commissioners decide to take Garrett assures voters the problems will be addressed and corrected before the next election.
