Our Friends in Fulton County Need Our HELP!
BKP Politics, Feature News, Featured News June 17, 2023
STOP THE STEAL!
If you understand that Fulton County alone can swing an entire election in Georgia- then you know how important it is that we stand up for election integrity.
The Democrat members of the Fulton County Commission are trying to disenfranchise Fulton voters, which in turn, disenfranchises our country.
Fulton has become synonymous with Maricopa County, and things are only worsening.
To win in 2024, we MUST ensure that our Fulton County Elections are free, fair, and accurate!
Please read and sign this petition no matter where you are from. We must stop these Democrat operatives from stealing our election board seats for no reason other than to disenfranchise YOU!
Georgia is a pivotal swing state now, and Fulton County has to run fair elections!
Fulton County residents will descend on the next commissioners meeting to present this petition and demand that they stop acting as if we live in a banana republic! JOIN IF YOU CAN!
READ. SIGN. SHARE THE PETITION.Click here to sign
Our Friends in Fulton County Need Our HELP!
Where goes Fulton, Goes Georgia.
Where goes Georgia, Goes our County
Stop The Steal!
Early voting running smoothly despite some questioning software
News December 17, 2020
ELLIJAY, Ga. – Once again, Gilmer County is returning to the ballot box for the early voting procedures for the 2020 elections, though this time addressing the runoff elections.
With the actual election day in January and early voting continuing through the end of 2020, Sherri Jones, boardmember of the Board of Voter Registration and Registrar for Gilmer County, said that the lines have been going smoother than in November. Sharing with FYN an update, she noted that many citizens have commented on the easier and quicker progression through the lines.
A small line forms as voters wait to enter the Registrar’s Office for in-person early voting in Gilmer County.
Jones said the staff has stayed very busy with three check-in stations processing voters and five voting machines in operation. She also noted that they have run four check-in stations if a line starts to build up as well. This is not any different as Jones said they operated similarly in the November Election.
However, Jones said a smaller ballot helps some as people are spending less time on the machines deciding and registering their votes. As they have gone through their first two completed days of operation in early voting, Gilmer saw 576 early voters on Monday, and 601 early voters on Tuesday. As they near completion of their third day, Jones said they have audited their lines and operations several times, never seeing more than a maximum of 15 minutes waiting in line.
But in almost three days, the in-person total of 1,637 in-person voters are only a third of the story. Jones said that between the state and county, they have 3,368 registered ballots in the mail locally and another 42 ballots sent digitally to those in military service overseas.
With only 15 minutes wait-times reported, Gilmer’s voters and registrars are both pleased with way the runoff election is performing in the opening days of early voting.
These are being returned via mail or through the ballot-box drop-off in front of the courthouse. Processing these comes with its own challenges as officials must register the ballots, confirm signatures, and, in some cases, re-mail confirmations. Jones said that a few of their by-mail ballots have had to have confirmation forms sent out to re-affirm signatures that may have been questioned or rejected. Jones said that, for example, they cannot accept ballots signed by a spouse. Citizens voting by mail should keep an eye out just in case they might be one of the few needing to sign a secondary form.
However, with all the normal challenges of operating the early voting process, Jones said the biggest issue they have faced so far is faith in the machines.
Jones said that they have had several people questioning their votes and the Dominion software used in counting them.
She said the office is assuring the public that they have confirmed the operations and counting software after having gone through the November Election, an audit and hand-counted-recount of that election, and a second recount of the ballots through the machines. All of which matched “to the ‘T,'” according to Jones.
They are continuing early voting through the next two weeks until New Years as the office is remaining open except for the recognized holidays. As previously reported from Chief Registrar Tammy Watkins, as of now, early voting will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 24 and 25, as well as for New Year’s Day, January 1.
Gilmer amid statewide recount and audit of elections
Election 2020, News November 17, 2020
ELLIJAY, Ga. – Gilmer County and its Probate Court are deep amid recounting ballots today as they join in what Chief Registrar Tammy Watkins is calling both an audit and a recount for the Presidential Election of 2020.
With employees from the Probate Office, Registrars, and some other volunteers, officials are fully confident in finishing the counting by Tuesday night.
A major stress on certain county offices, this major process has drawn in employees from both the Probate Office and Registrar’s Office to undertake recounting every one of the 16,576 ballots cast in Gilmer County, according to viewers and officials present at the recount.
Begun on Friday, November 14, 2o20, the process is being undertaken in the Jury Assembly Room of the Gilmer County Courthouse. Gilmer Probate Judge Scott Chastain said they used the Jury Assembly Room to allow public access and viewing of the audit, as required by law. However, he said the room also allowed for social distancing between tables and for space so that one table would not accidently hear someone from the next table over possibly causing some confusion.
Chastain told FYN that the process was going well on Friday, and they have been looking at the progress daily. Scheduled to count through today and ending tomorrow, Tuesday, November 17, 2020, they actually have until midnight on Wednesday to finish the count. This means that if something happens, the county does have a buffer of one extra day just in case.
Registrar Sherri Jones, left, helps alongside Gary Watkins, right, in the 2020 recount and audit of the Presidential Election on November 13, 2020.
Nearly twenty people at some times helping the process with including some floating staff that comes and goes, Chastain said that eleven core people including the elections review board are constantly working through the process.
Chastain and Watkins are both confident in the speed they have been accomplishing the task and are both fully confident in finishing in the scheduled time.
One of the major points of note in this process, those involved in recounting the ballots are only counting the presidential election. Chastain said this was a concern of his in the beginning. He worried that they would be needing to recount every vote in every race. Instead, focusing only on the presidential race is also helping in accomplishing the recount and audit with speed.
Moving forward, two very different outcomes could mean two very different futures for Georgia. Should the audit come up with different numbers than what the computers accounted for, Chastain said, “When we’re finished statewide, my hope is what the machines said is what we come up with. Because if we have different numbers than the machines, it’s not going to be a good situation statewide.”
A part of the statewide audit and recount, Gilmer County is going through 16,576 ballots through day-of, in-person-early, and absentee voting.
Chief Registrar Tammy Watkins echoed a similar thought saying that the recount could prove to be a test for the election equipment statewide. Watkins has also voiced, in previous interviews, her faith in Gilmer’s elections staff and poll workers and has been happy with the efforts that Gilmer has put forth in elections.
This specific election has seen records broken in terms of those visiting in early voting as well as absentee ballots. Yet, this phrase is beginning to lose some of its impact as Gilmer has repeatedly increased in the numbers this year in each of the election days throughout local, state, and federal offices.
Regardless of what the audit comes up with, some are still concerned that hand counts could become a common thing in future elections with parties constantly claiming instances of voter fraud and suppression as well as other things. However, nothing concrete has been reported yet.
Long lines, but not long waits for early voters in Murray County
Election 2020, News October 21, 2020
Photo by Susan Kirkland
Murray County voters can expect lines, but not necessarily long waits during early voting.
The lines are long, but it’s quieting down from Monday’s opening day of early voting, according to Connie Winkler, deputy elections superintendent. She said more than 1,000 have come through from Monday-Wednesday with numbers averaging about 450 voters per day.
“I expect we will see between 6,000 and 8,000 before the end of early voting,” she said.
So far, the record was close to 6,000 in the 2016 election.
Early voting is being held at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Old
Photo by Susan Kirkland
Lisa and Kenny McGill said they didn’t have to wait long to cast their ballot on Wednesday.
Federal Road in Chatsworth.
She also said that even though the line goes out the door sometimes, there have been very few bumps in the process.
“The bumps we’ve had are due to the system slowing down on the state site,” she said.
That slow down has caused some wait, but voters coming out of the polls said it wasn’t too much. Others said they would return later with hopefully less wait time.
“It wasn’t as bad as we expected,” said Lisa McGill, who, along with husband, Kenny, voted early.
“I thought it would take longer,” Kenny McGill said.
The couple said they vote in every election.
Murray County has three different ballots, because they have three house districts: District Five, District Six, and District 11 and each one is up for election. To find out the coverage areas for each district, visit My Voter Page.
Included on the ballot are two constitutional amendments, dealing with taxes, and one proposal with the administration of government.
Amendment One: Authorizes dedication of fees and taxes to tehir intended purposes by general state law.
House Resolution 164
Act No. 597
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to authorize the General Assembly to dedicate revenues derived from fees or taxes to the public purpose for which such fees or taxes were intended.
MORE MURRAY COUNTY NEWS
Proposal Two: Waives state and local sovereign immunity for violation of state laws, state and federal constitutions.
House Resolution 1023
Act. No 596
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended ot waive sovereign immunity and allow the people of Georgia to petition the superior court for relieve from governmental acts doen outside the scope of lawful authority or which violate the laws of this state, the Constitution of Georgia, or the Constitution of hte United States?”
Amendment Three: Established a tax exemption for certain real property owned by charities.
House Bill 344
Act. No. 149
“Shall the Act be approved which provides exemption from ad valorem taxes for all real property owned by a purely public charity, if such charity is exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of hte federal Internal Revenue Code and such real property is held exclusively for the purpose of building or repairing single-family homes to be financed by such charity to individuals using loans that shall not bear interest?
Early Voting gets massive first day in Gilmer
Election 2020, News October 14, 2020
ELLIJAY, Ga. – With the presidential election less than a month away, yesterday saw Gilmer County’s first day of early voting with lines stretching far out the door and down the sidewalk in front of the courthouse.
Voters line the street on Tuesday, October 13, 2020, as Gilmer holds its first day of early voting for the Presidential Election.
According to Chief Registrar Tammy Watkins, the county saw a total of 470 people vote early on the first day.
This is no shock, however, as the Registrars Office also reported record breaking turnouts this year in the June elections. At the time, Registrar Sherri Jones said that Friday, June 5, 2020, the final day of early voting, was their busiest day of the entire cycle.
However, that busiest day ended with 161 voters casting their ballots. This Presidential Election is already shattering any expectations from citizens and authorities. The line stretched long well past noon yesterday, and was wrapping around the square today as citizens lined up in the opposite direction.
Early voting has also taken up extra space. The Board of Commissioners, amid budget meetings this week, held their meetings in the Jury Assembly Room. While most of their meetings are being held there currently, due to needs for Social Distancing amid the Coronavirus, they also said their conference room is being used by elections and office staff as the early voting machines are spreading out through the Registrar’s Office to supply enough machines for early voting while also maintaining the same Social Distancing guidelines.
Gilmer’s new absentee ballot drop off waits for the cement to dry for its new location in the courthouse parking lot.
Citizens don’t seem to mind as some, who have never voted, are showing up for the first time ever. One person, who declined to give his name, said he searched and registered this year just to vote against those he saw as attacking the president and the current office.
Gilmer is also adding a new drop-off box this week for absentee ballots. Set in the parking lot of the courthouse, the new box is to be bolted into the ground allowing those dropping off ballots to not have to wait in line.
Watkins said in a meeting with the commissioners last week before early voting that absentee ballots could also be seeing minor issues with some as they originally request an absentee ballot or are on a rollover absentee list, but want to cancel their absentee ballot and vote in person.
Watkins explained that this happened in the last election as a large number of ballots request forms were sent out.
Additionally, if a request is marked with certain health or physical disabilities, these people can be put on a rollover list for absentee ballots as well.
Gilmer’s early voting line stretched down the sidewalk and around the corner of the Courthouse’s parking lot to enter the Registrar’s Office to vote.
While not an issue to handle and fix, the massive turnout already seen will inflate problems in this election as staff are keeping up with the number of people while also dealing with the usual corrections and details that come normally with early voting.
With no clear number on the amount of absentees that could be since we are so early in the cycle, the first day of early voting nearly tripled the busiest day from the last election. As the campaigns continue and more people find time to go to the Gilmer County Courthouse, 1 Broad St., in Ellijay, the numbers are looking like they will only go up from here to shatter previous records in early voting for the county.