Cobb County elections board approves temporary relocation of Shallowford Falls polling place

The Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration voted unanimously June 3 to temporarily relocate the Shallowford Falls 01 polling place to Shallowford Church, colocating it with Hightower 01 for the June 17 special primary election and any July 15 runoff.

Board Chair Tori Silas called the special meeting and said the only agenda item was a public hearing on the temporary polling-location change. Elections Director Paul told the board that a school planned for use as the Shallowford Falls polling place will be closed this summer for complete HVAC renovations and "the building will be uninhabitable for the summer elections." He said the alternate colocated site is about 0.5 miles away.

The relocation affects 3,292 active voters assigned to Shallowford Falls 01; Hightower 01 has 4,070 active registered voters, Paul said. He described the change as temporary "just for June and July." Paul said election postcards notifying affected voters were already in production and were being held pending the board vote: "we're gonna deposit the postage check today and then get those postcards dropped, either this afternoon or Monday." He also said signage would be placed at the original site and that voters would use the same voting equipment but separate scanners at the colocated site.

After calling for public comment and hearing none, board member Mr. Bruning moved to approve the proposed temporary relocation and a board member seconded. Chair Silas called the vote; the motion passed unanimously. The board noted that Debbie Fisher was present but did not count toward the quorum and that board member Miss Effort was not present.

Board members discussed related logistical steps during the meeting: completing postage deposit and mailing postcards, placing signage at the original site, and ensuring separate scanners are available for each precinct at the colocated location. The board did not take any additional budget actions during the meeting; Director Paul clarified that a recent Board of Commissioners action to ratify precinct-card purchases overd $100,000 was a ratification and covered from contingency, not a new appropriation.

The board scheduled additional June meetings related to the election: an election-night meeting on June 17 at the Elections Office, a precertification meeting on June 20 at the Elections Office, and a certification meeting on June 23 at 100 Cherokee. Chair Silas adjourned the special meeting at 9:07 a.m.