Cherokee County elections staff outline polling‑location shifts, drop‑box plan and outreach ahead of possible July runoff

Cherokee County elections staff told the Board of Elections that several regular polling sites would be unavailable if a likely July runoff occurs and proposed combining nearby precincts, moving a ballot drop box back to the South Annex and expanding voter education.

Director Dover and elections staff said they are preparing now because four Democrats qualified in Public Service Commission District 3, making a July runoff likely if no candidate reaches 50% plus one vote. Grace, an elections staff member, told the board the runoff would fall on July 15 and that “we have 4 locations that we know of right now that would not be able to accommodate us if we had a July runoff.”

The office proposed temporary changes intended to reduce voter confusion: move the Bradshaw precinct from Full Life Church into Hickory Flat Elementary School to host two precincts in one gym; combine the Victoria precinct (normally at Rose Creek Public Library) with the adjacent Hillside precinct at Hillside Church; move Tunai precinct operations from the South Cherokee Recreation Center annex to the Woodstock Public Library for early voting and Election Day if the library agrees; and return Macedonia precinct election day operations to Macedonia Elementary School because the Buzz Rec Center will host summer camps.

Elections staff also said they plan to restore a ballot drop box at the South Cherokee Annex. “The SEB rule did not pass and the legislators did not pass that we have to put a camera on the drop box,” Director Dover told the board, explaining that video surveillance is not required by state rule or recent legislation. Dover said the annex location is already secured and, in the office’s judgment, more secure than the Oak Grove drop‑box site even though Oak Grove previously had a camera.

Staff emphasized the short turnaround for notifying voters. The office will mail precinct cards but warned the board that mail timing may not ensure delivery before a runoff; staff proposed handing each voter a printed notice at the polling place explaining where to vote if a runoff is needed and posting information on the elections website. “We will flood every— that’s why we’re starting now because we don’t know that this is gonna happen,” Grace said, describing outreach plans that include existing “Empowering Voices” training sessions.

Staff briefed the board on voter education activity: about 36 people have attended the training classes to date, and staff reported roughly 75 poll workers trained across sessions and outreach visits to libraries, the Rotary Club and churches. The board discussed longer‑term site needs for 2026; Dover said staff are meeting county leadership about securing the current building or another location for advanced voting during major election years.

During public comment two speakers asked the board to add cameras to drop boxes and to move toward hand‑marked paper ballots. Rita Rarson said, “None of the elections should have been certified,” and urged the board to act on perceived integrity concerns. Kelly Saroyes asked the board to bring the camera question to a vote and urged officials to pursue paper ballots, saying she wanted Cherokee County to adopt “the gold standard for election security.”

Board members did not take a formal vote to change polling locations at the meeting; the chair said staff should secure firm arrangements with building owners and return to the board at the next meeting with confirmations. The board did approve the meeting agenda and the March 3, 2025 minutes by voice vote and later adjourned.

How this matters: if a runoff is required, short notice and several unavailable polling sites will force temporary precinct consolidations, extra early‑voting arrangements and additional voter outreach — all of which could affect voter travel and planning during the July runoff period.

Votes at the meeting included routine approvals: a motion to approve the meeting agenda and a motion to approve the March 3, 2025 meeting minutes (both approved by voice vote), and a motion to adjourn (approved by voice vote). No formal motion to change polling locations, move the drop box, or require cameras was made or passed at this meeting.