Athens‑Clarke County elections board reviews tiered advanced‑voting templates, schedules August work session

The Athens‑Clarke County Board of Elections on July 7 reviewed a staff proposal that lays out four models for advanced (early) voting — full access, additional access, compliance and runoff — intended as a planning tool to balance statutory requirements, voter access and staffing costs.

The proposal, presented by the elections director, described statutory constraints (a three‑week advanced voting window with two mandatory Saturdays and optional Sunday voting), sample site lists used in the models (election office, public library, tenant center, Miriam Moore Community Center, tennis center and the Tate Center for November), and sample hours ranging from standard 8 a.m.–5 p.m. to extended 7 a.m.–7 p.m. in the final week.

Why it matters: Board members and commenters said operational details — which locations are open, how many sites comprise “full access,” and whether to keep Sunday and extended weekday evening hours — will affect turnout and equity across the county, particularly for voters on the East Side who lack convenient transit.

Public commenters urged the board to prioritize voter convenience. Adam Shirley, the first commenter, said the board should put voter access first and "please keep" high‑turnout locations and at least one Sunday of early voting. Jacqueline Elsner echoed that plea and cited recent national and regional incidents as reasons to expand early‑voting access so voters can cast ballots early and feel safe. Brian Box asked the board to factor public transit access when selecting sites.

Staff emphasized that the proposal is a planning template, not a final decision. Director Long explained the models are intended to let staff coordinate sites and staffing early — enabling the department to request funds or support from the mayor and commission and to begin recruitments and training well before elections. The director also reported June office statistics: 80,491 registered voters (71,733 active), 139 new registrations and 128 cancellations, and said the office completed audits and counts with no changes.

Board members probed operational constraints. A longtime poll‑worker email read into the record warned that extended multi‑day shifts (11–13 hours) strain an aging volunteer base and increase error risk; staff said extended hours would require larger hiring and training efforts and that their recent maximum hiring in one cycle was about 70 workers. Board members asked staff to provide staffing, training and cost estimates for candidate templates and to consider shifts or recruiting younger workers to avoid overtaxing volunteers.

Next steps: The board did not vote on a template. Members asked staff to return with a more refined proposal and numbers and to propose three potential dates for a special work session in early August so the board can make timely decisions ahead of advertising deadlines and the August regular meeting (Aug. 11). Staff also summarized advertising options and prior FY26 advertising expenses ($7,075.65) and offered billboard and bus‑ad pricing ranges for board consideration.

The meeting closed after routine calendar announcements (logic and accuracy testing Sept. 21–25; poll‑worker training Sept. 26–Oct. 6; voter registration deadline Oct. 5; absentee application window Aug. 17–Oct. 23; first absentee mailing Oct. 5).