Advance Voting continues, Elections Supervisor recommends voting stay at courthouse

Advance, or early in-person voting, continues this week for the City of Toccoa and Town of Martin municipal elections. 

Early voting for both elections takes place at the Historic Courthouse, 37 West Tugalo Street in Toccoa, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday through November 3.  Saturday voting period will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. this coming Saturday, October 28. 

Voters must bring a valid photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or voter identification card to early voting and election day voting, and there are accessible booths available for voters in wheelchairs. Those who require assistance can ask a family member or friend to come with them to the polls and fill the ballot in with the voter’s choices.  

Voter totals for last week, through Friday, show that ten people voted in the Town of Martin election, with zero provisional ballots and zero absentee ballots mailed or returned. In Toccoa, weekly totals show that 163 people voted in person, there was 1 provisional ballot, and 22 absentee ballots were mailed, with zero returned. These figures do not include voting on Saturday, Oct. 21.

In other Stephens County elections news, county elections Supervisor Bruce Carlisle spoke to county commissioners at a called meeting of the Stephens County Board of Commissioners last week, putting forth a proposal to address the ongoing question of where to hold upcoming elections in the county. 

The Board met on Wednesday for the purpose of discussing the site for future elections and to discuss several county-owned buildings – including the former site of Tabor Motors on ? Street, which was purchased for the purpose of housing the county’s election office and all voting. Subsequent review of the property and the needs of the county in regards to space, parking, accommodations and other logistical factors indicated that the Tabor Motor building would not suffice for the purpose without significant expenditure, according to Carlisle.

At the meeting, Carlisle proposed that the county maintain th elections office at the Historic Courthouse, and move all voting activities in the county to the Courthouse.

He said that he had conducted an analysis of the elections operations, from both a security and operational standpoint, to come up with his proposal.

He said security was a main consideration in any decision about county elections operations.

Carslile said that recommendations for security enhancements made by Homeland Security when they visited all 159 counties in the state are confidential.

Carlisle said moving forward with his proposal for the 2024 elections will allow the county to prepare for next year’s elections while allowing commissioners to make long-term decisions about the future of county elections without rushing. 

Commissioners, at the end of the meeting, agreed that the proposal was a good plan for at least a trial run during next year’s election, after which they would determine whether to continue with that proposal permanently, or look at other options.