As early voters streamed into the Buckhead Library, the leaders of Georgia and Fulton County’s election boards stopped by to make sure there weren’t problems.
So far, so good, they say.
“No chaos, no concerns,” State Election Board Chair John Fervier said. “Fulton County had its issues in 2020, and the State Election Board looked into that several different times. My concern is that Fulton County does everything right this time.”
Fervier and Fulton Election Board Chair Sherri Allen visited several early voting sites Tuesday to see for themselves whether there were lines, disruptions or improper procedures. They didn’t spot any.
Their observation supplements an official monitoring team Fulton hired in response to a State Election Board reprimand for double-scanning over 3,000 ballots in the recount of the 2020 election.
Allen said election workers are ensuring a smooth voting process.
“With all the tension that’s around, they’re still being professional, they’re helping people vote. I also look to make sure that everything’s in compliance with state election laws and regulations,” Allen said. “There were Republican poll watchers and Democratic poll watchers, and they made a point of saying, ‘We all work together, and we’re all just doing our job.’”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Three Republican State Election Board members have opposed Fulton’s election monitoring efforts, saying they’re inadequate. They sought to install election skeptics as monitors, a proposal Fulton rejected.
Both Allen and Fervier noticed one consistent problem in small voting locations such as the Buckhead Library: It’s difficult to position large voting touchscreens to protect ballot secrecy from other voters.
Sometimes the problem could be remedied by tilting the touchscreen away from voters. Other times, it wasn’t possible to move touchscreens, so they face walls instead of voters.
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