Dougherty County Elections Board postpones decision on additional early voting site

Alan Mauldin, The Albany Herald, Ga.
·2 min read

Mar. 25—ALBANY — A second advance early voting location is off the table for the foreseeable future for Dougherty County. Dougherty County Election Board members decided instead to look at boosting voter turnout in other ways and improving voters' experience.

While considering additional early voting locations, the board looked at voting numbers from similar-sized counties, and the overall consensus was that more early voting locations was not the answer.

Counties used for comparison with Dougherty County were Barrow, Bulloch, Glenn, Lowndes and Rockdale. Of those, only Glenn County had more than one early voting location with three sites.

The numbers from those indicated that the issue in Dougherty County did not appear to be related to not having multiple locations where voters can cast ballots during the early voting period, board Chairman Frederick Williams said during the board's recent monthly meeting.

"I think, overall, I'm disappointed in our turnout," he said. "(The numbers) made me reconsider, with the low turnout, do we as a board want to move forward with a second location? It looks like we should focus on educating stakeholders. Turnout should be our focus."

Among the figures Williams gave were early voting totals for the last election, which were 12,309 in Dougherty County and 11,344 in Glynn County.

In terms of overall election day precincts, Dougherty County had more than any of the other counties, with 26. Among the others, Lowndes County had the most at 18, and Barrow had eight.

"I think, looking at all this data, what's really clear is having more precincts and early voting locations doesn't make voter turnout (increase)," board member Jacob Clawson said. "I would ask is it worth it? As much as I want it to be accessible, it's not working in all the other places; what makes us think it would work here?"

In the past, the Riverfront Resource Center, a county-owned building at 125 Pine Ave., also referred to as the Candy Room, has been used for early voting. In several recent elections, the Albany Civic Center has been the site for early voting.

Both locations have their problems, Dougherty County Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson told the board. For the Candy Room, the issue is size, especially during years when there are presidential or gubernatorial primaries and elections. At the Civic Center, internet connectivity in the conference rooms utilized hampered operations.

"If we have one good location that has good Wi-Fi, we would be great," Nickerson said. "We've looked at facilities, and there's nothing."

The board approved putting the issue on the back-burner in a 4-1 vote, with board member Annabelle Stubbs casting the dissenting vote.

For 2023, the only elections scheduled are municipal elections for Albany mayor and City Commission Wards I, IV and VI.