Spalding County outlines June 17 special primary plan, absentee rules and election costs

The Spalding County Board of Elections and Voter Registration on May 6 reviewed preparations for a June 17 special primary, warned that a July 15 runoff is likely, and outlined absentee-application requirements for elderly and disabled voters.

The board's election supervisor said the office expects a special primary on June 17 and that, because of the number of candidates on the Democratic ballot in Public Service Commission District 3, "we will, 99.9%, have a runoff in due on July 15." The supervisor also told the board the November general municipal and Public Service Commission elections remain scheduled for Nov. 4, with a possible special election in December (date not specified).

The meeting mattered for voters because the elections office stressed that elderly and disabled voters who normally use a single absentee application that rolls through a cycle must file separate absentee applications for special primaries, special primary runoffs, special elections and special election runoffs. Sandra Hardy, the voter registration official, cited state guidance in saying that ‘‘Any elderly and disabled voter as described in OCGA 21-2-381(a)(1)(G) and State Election Board rules will have to request an absentee ballot for the special primary on June 17, [a] possible special primary runoff on July 15, [the] special election on Nov. 4, and [a] possible special election on December.’’

Hardy reported the county had 54,575 registered voters as of about 2 p.m. on May 6. She gave a transaction breakdown for the April 9–May 6 processing period: transfers into Spalding County totaled 227; new registrations, 151; within-county address changes, 167; name changes, 38; 557 records showed no change; 18 moved out of the county; and 14 applications were pending (many pending for age). "The total registered voters, 54,575," Hardy said.

The elections office also warned that statewide confirmation processes expected to begin in June could change the voter rolls. The supervisor said staff will monitor four confirmation processes (including inactivity and no-change checks) and will report back to the board on any reductions or corrections to the rolls.

On finances, the election supervisor said the office's current balance is a little over $10,000 and noted a new budget line for legal fees of about $65,000. The office has submitted the approximate cost of the June special election — $72,008.97 — to the county finance director, and the supervisor said the finance director and county officials "are gonna work with us to ensure that those funds are available." That coordination was presented as staff-level direction rather than a board vote.

Staff reported operational readiness: logic-and-accuracy testing for advanced voting and precincts 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 is complete; testing for precinct 7 was scheduled to begin the next day. The office has completed poll-worker training for 58 recruits and aims for 68 poll workers for the election. The supervisor invited board members and the public to observe testing, which is advertised on the office website and at the office.

The office summarized outreach and civic-engagement activity, saying staff participated in the first-year Spalding U program to show residents how county departments operate and that about 28–29 participants attended the elections session. The supervisor encouraged board members to consider attending next year.

The meeting included routine board actions: adoption of the agenda, approval of April minutes and adjournment by unanimous voice votes. No board votes were taken on the budget or the special-election cost during the meeting; the supervisor said the county finance director will work with the office to secure funds.

Board members asked questions about the large number of registered voters relative to county population and were told the confirmation process will clarify the rolls. The supervisor and voter registration staff flagged a technical issue with Department of Driver Services transactions that caused some records not to create a digital transaction card; that issue has been reported to the Georgia Secretary of State's office and its vendor for correction.

Looking ahead, the elections office said it will continue to track logic-and-accuracy testing, finish poll-worker recruitment, monitor confirmations that may alter the rolls, and coordinate with county finance staff on funding for the June election.