Local office deluged with absentee ballot requests
Georgia’s primary election date has been changed from May 19 to June 9. Another change in the coming election may be in the manner which citizens choose to vote.
Gilmer County Chief Registrar Tammy Watkins said her office has been inundated with absentee ballot requests.
“Our office door is closed, but we are working,” she said.
As of Monday morning, April 13, there were 2,217 requests for absentee ballots in her office and another 453 delivered by email. Gilmer County has 21,414 active voters.
Absentee requests are coming in at a brisk pace partly because of the current shelter in place order because of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and also because Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ordered absentee ballot requests mailed to all Georgia voters.
Watkins said she will be looking to bring on extra help to process the absentee ballot requests.
To process an absentee ballot request staff has to match a signature from the request with a signature from a previous record. If they have problems matching the two, a signature affidavit is sent to the voter.
“We’re just trying to do our job and insure it is right,” Watkins said.
Raffensperger announced on April 9 he would postpone the primary election for Georgia from May 19 to June 9.
“This decision allows our office and county election officials to continue to put in place contingency plans to ensure that voting can be safe and secure when in-person voting begins and prioritizes the health and safety of voters, county election officials and poll workers,” he said.
Gilmer County Election Superintendent Scott Chastain said poll workers would have been a problem if the primary had been held on May 19. He estmates 30 out of the 100 poll workers were high risk.
“I felt like we were going to have more folks who didn’t feel comfortable,” he said.
An election puts voters and poll workers in close contact. Something which would be a problem with the social distancing necessary during the shelter in place to fight the spread of coronavirus.
“With pushing it back, I think there will be people willing to work the polls,” Chastain said. “I honestly think pushing it back is going to help us.”
Primary election voting is scheduled for June 9. Voters must register by May 11. Early voting begins May 18 and runs through June 5.
Chastain said voters will be able to request one of five different ballots. There will be a full Republican ballot with president candidates, a full Democratic ballot with presidential candiates, a Republican or Democratic ballot with no presidential candidate for those who voted early in the presidential preference primary or a “combo ballot.”
Everyone is in unchartered territory with all the changes to voting dates.
“This is something we are not accustomed to,” Chastain said.
Watkins said 2,224 absentee ballot requests returned undelievered. She asks anyone who didn’t get an absentee ballot application and wants one to call the office at 706-635-4617.