[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6569206,"mediaKeyId","3192311-d692c67ead4e8444fdba0194737b3931","parentId",3192311,"title","Cherokee County elections office seeks additional early-voting sites in Canton; residents ask for camera on ballot drop box","audioSeconds",1465,"startMs",585000,"endMs",2050000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3192311-d692c67ead4e8444fdba0194737b3931&start=585&end=2050","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3192311-d692c67ead4e8444fdba0194737b3931/thumbnail_585000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6569206/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Cherokee-County-elections-office-seeks-additional-early-voting-sites-in-Canton-residents-ask-for-camera-on-ballot-drop-box","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569206-9774597a913c1e60be996cbf2432dbc5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770488703&Signature=Om1gmDFFQ6qgTnYJRMV8qlBnfIgrRI~ugVzyI5uPjc9rRvkX00~6ngwWP23vFTkSVOyv3zwi24c09jMwDaQr0uOcrIYovKSxh2kBtKgS2ksZYIZMoWQO0LukqKtYEggSVwItr~QCCV-Z4krAm4OJ6bWJBq5fMdPtCzBEv8k-Z7CHeLUdVduHHbuLT0dMUw832VtPpmMNpg~KsnzCgSTMvkHvukSDwxOqGTIh48~gHAS-3Q~2kVoGkxhblZVbsplrCmWzJR~b0nV5GWUFQQIV7QpwDttBINlMuUA45XzElITQbecG1fwuNCdNziLRsxXM4h4OpApRhQwaPddReV7sSw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Cherokee ","date","2025-05-05T09:30:00Z","article","Cherokee County elections staff told the board they are actively searching for additional secured early-voting locations in or near Canton to supplement the county elections office, citing significant traffic congestion and parking constraints experienced during the most recent presidential-year election.

Staff described problems at the elections center: limited ingress/egress on Brown Industrial Parkway, heavy tractor-trailer traffic from neighboring businesses, and insufficient accessible parking that required staff to help direct traffic during peak early-voting days. Staff said the county needs at least one or two additional locations in Canton that can host three-week early-voting periods, because many potential hosts (for example, churches) cannot accommodate being the site for daily operations for multiple weeks.

The staff said several sites have been considered; many declined, and one that had agreed — the Charlie Ferguson Center on Highway 140 — presents concerns about parking and safe access. Larry (board member) and other staff said they will continue searching and asked the public to suggest possible sites in the Canton area.

Public commenters raised security questions about ballot drop boxes. Lisa Jockwa requested that the county reconsider installing a camera on the indoor drop box, saying Cherokee County should “be leading” on transparency and security. Kelly Saroy (identified in the record as Kelly Sarrais/Saroy) similarly urged a camera and cited a March 25, 2025, federal executive order on election integrity as context for federal expectations. County staff noted that camera surveillance is not required by state law for indoor drop boxes but acknowledged the request and said they would reconsider the proposal.

Why it matters: The county expects heightened turnout in the 2026 election cycle and needs secured, accessible locations for weeks-long early voting and drop-box access to ensure ballots can be deposited safely and accepted per state and federal rules.

Ending: Staff said they are continuing site visits and would report back; the board encouraged residents to propose potential facilities in Canton that could meet the county’s security and access needs.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cherokee - Board of Elections and Registration Regular Meeting - May 05, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Elections staff told the board they are seeking additional advanced voting locations in or near Canton for the 2026 cycle because of traffic and parking problems at the current office; public commenters asked the board to install a camera at the ballot drop box and to adopt paper-ballot measures.","taxTitle","Cherokee County, Georgia","taxId",12793,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6569211,"Cherokee County elections staff say 'Empowering Voices' training has reached about 130 people; staff outlines verification and audit procedures",2468,196000,2664000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3192311-d692c67ead4e8444fdba0194737b3931&start=196&end=2664","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3192311-d692c67ead4e8444fdba0194737b3931/thumbnail_196000.jpg","/articles/6569211/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Cherokee-County-elections-staff-say-Empowering-Voices-training-has-reached-about-130-people-staff-outlines-verification-and-audit-procedures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569211-4e0afe8a542236c4fefa7720750fa951/orig.mp4?Expires=1770488703&Signature=AUuPVekUjFrTYKStPPKdPIfc451hFIuNE6vnZNmrQxZec0uV7AklewsG-rYthRvK-ZeeSa8Op6qAGybfmEUDmR6xtCezeUzyTZaq86Tes4Se5GBsl2iKvxqrcCbEvIMVjTSDwETB9UUeYCrvS6oNWt45EmwK856el0JKiC1Nfwl3DTTjgbGeB8AOuL0VtwWCLNbktBtw0wpGr~APDlj0Fe7-xtm4ddWidGgBA8INjhYcYFe~3lJfGHFYQkscNz9HANDseTFariygAtBeszx28ZSWKN9E2XDuOF0bu0RB2kHaU0L2umi5jlLfN0ARQFoBvxdWQjUCXQpW4mhnniZGSQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cherokee County elections staff told the board that the county’s \"Empowering Voices: A Community Guide to Elections\" program, launched in March 2025, has held four sessions and tours serving roughly 130 participants, including county board members, poll workers, county residents and state election staff, the county said.

Staff said participants have included representatives from other Georgia counties (Walton, Gwinnett, Lumpkin, Forsyth, Cobb, Henry, Gordon and Liberty) and that the county will present the program at the Georgia Voter Registrations and Elections Officials Conference in August. Upcoming public sessions were scheduled for May 22 and June (dates provided in the meeting). The elections office also reported more than 100 student names submitted from Woodstock High School and Etowah High School from recent voter-registration drives.

Donna, an elections staff member who leads the program, told the board, “We introduce you to our team, the board and our staff. We also go over the legal framework of elections… We talk about registration basics… pre-election duties and preparations, day of and post election.”

Board members praised the training. One board member said the session was “very informative” even for experienced members and recommended that party poll watchers complete the class. Another said the program helps explain staff procedures that ensure transparency.

Staff also explained how Georgia verifies citizenship during registration and how the county prevents noncitizens from voting. The elections office described three registration pathways: paper form, OLIVER (online registration), and Department of Driver Services (DDS) transactions. Staff said DDS generates most registrations (75–80%) and that if DDS cannot verify citizenship it forwards the application to SAVE (Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements) at the Department of Homeland Security. If SAVE cannot verify citizenship, the application remains in the county’s system as “pending citizenship,” and the person must present proof of U.S. citizenship at the polling place to be allowed to vote.

On audits and post-election checks, board members described the county’s risk-limiting audits and hand counts: randomly selected ballot samples are manually recounted and compared with machine totals to verify whether machine counts are accurate. One board member said his own manual recounts matched machine totals in the races they examined.

Why it matters: The trainings and public explanations address public concerns about transparency, registration eligibility and vote verification ahead of larger election cycles.

Ending: Staff encouraged board members and the public to attend upcoming sessions and to use the trainings and tours as a resource to understand county procedures.

","Elections staff described a voter-education program launched in March 2025 that has hosted four sessions and roughly 130 attendees, and staff walked the board through how Georgia’s DDS and SAVE systems and risk-limiting audits work to verify registrations and counts.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6569215,"Cherokee County elections board removes seven voter registrations listed at business addresses",216,1103000,1319000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3192311-d692c67ead4e8444fdba0194737b3931&start=1103&end=1319","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3192311-d692c67ead4e8444fdba0194737b3931/thumbnail_1103000.jpg","/articles/6569215/Cherokee-County/Georgia/Cherokee-County-elections-board-removes-seven-voter-registrations-listed-at-business-addresses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6569215-27eac7ec7f94e8ccbd3da1cd0b7a1837/orig.mp4?Expires=1770488703&Signature=OtMrJbTR1jD3XRsyV1y8o~23WZGdwx21CNQUgGJ-pMS-IB1~2-DNTmp7~DDspRGpDDsWvJSnFSMbTQUJqHUW6DIWprT3NL8DGKys2N2ApxKFbKrdpwC9SQvofnUR99z1u25DnjK8SviteJNUFc~SVEJYPgMci-~t3l2Jp10jclS-kx4y~vkO3iEUdAA0uD2sBldxNbqCp6Xxwg6~PIJ3sgNbB-NZVJ4SG0YRGir~BxG3x0HrdJ04U-Np8NcNo12gyKPzsEE3wPHvNu274xSUAPghSW0f106g4ZLI-iS8CtUFDPfULCFGa4vounS-Ngr1GOQW509zXKYTkPX4-lsCaA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cherokee County Board of Elections voted unanimously to remove seven voter registration records that staff determined were registered using business or commercial mailing addresses, board staff said.

Board staff told members they sent two letters to each registrant and received no responses; one mailing was returned. Janice, a voter-registration staff member, told the board, “We've had no response from any of those electors.” The board then moved to remove the seven records and approved the motion without opposition.

Why it matters: Georgia election law prohibits using nonresidential business addresses as a voting residence. Removing improperly registered records is part of the county’s routine maintenance of the voter rolls and can affect who receives ballots and poll notifications.

What the board did: Staff presented a list of seven registered voters whose registration addresses were business or mail-service addresses and recommended removal. The board asked whether any of the named people were present to contest the removal; none appeared. Names read into the record by staff were Joseph Catran, Michael Erb, Gregory Bridal, Brad Long, Winnetka Johnson, Ashley Novotny and Deborah (last name not specified in the hearing).

Staff said the county first attempts nonjudicial remedies (mail and outreach) before holding an address-hearing procedure. After the lack of response, a motion to remove the registrations was made, seconded, and approved by voice vote with no opposition.

Next steps and limits: Staff did not indicate any immediate voter-impact numbers beyond the seven records removed. The board’s action removes those records from the rolls; the transcript shows no subsequent appeal or request to reinstate. Staff reiterated that the county’s voter-registration system includes safeguards intended to flag nonresidential addresses but that no automated safeguard is perfect in a county of this size.

Ending: Board members moved on to public comments and other agenda items after the vote.

","The Cherokee County Board of Elections voted unanimously to remove seven voter registration records after staff concluded the registrations used business or mailing-service addresses and did not respond to mailed notices, officials said.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Cherokee County elections office seeks additional early-voting sites in Canton; residents ask for camera on ballot drop box

Cherokee County elections staff say 'Empowering Voices' training has reached about 130 people; staff outlines verification and audit procedures

Cherokee County elections board removes seven voter registrations listed at business addresses