Computer fixes have improved flow of Dougherty early voters

ALBANY — Dougherty County Elections officials were braced for a rush of voters this week when early voting started, but not for a state voting system that crashed frequently early in the week.

Long lines were the norm across the state, with reports of waits of as long as 11 hours at one location on Monday.

Several groups, including social advocacy group SOWEGA Rising, have criticized Dougherty County’s long wait times and requested moving the early voting site from the 225 Riverfront Resource Center to the Albany Civic Center.

On Monday and Tuesday, the delays were caused by the state system, which was running slowly and crashed throughout the day, Dougherty County Elections Supervisor Ginger Nickerson said.

“We were being logged out,” she said during a Thursday telephone interview. “We couldn’t even stay on the system.

“There’s not an issue with our staff. We have more staff than we’ve ever had before. We have more equipment than we’ve ever had before.”

Nickerson said local officials knew there would be a rush initially and were prepared for that, but not for what they experienced.

“The long lines are something we expected,” the Elections supervisor said. “We knew, due to the new normal, that was to be expected.”

However, the early vote issues were exacerbated by the performance of the state system, through which workers input voter information, she said. The county also uses the system when voters who previously had requested an absentee ballot comes in to vote in person instead.

In the latter case staff must have the voter sign an affidavit, cancel the absentee ballot using the state system and give the voter credit for the in-person ballot cast.

“It’s statewide,” Nickerson said of the lines earlier in the week. “All 159 counties experienced the same thing.”

The state updated the system overnight on Monday, which helped somewhat, and a Tuesday-night fix provided a much more noticeable improvement, Nickerson said.

Through the first three days of early voting, about 600 of the county’s some 61,000 registered voters cast ballots. The longest wait time experienced was about 2 1/2 hours during the time the state system was down, Nickerson said.

When voters arrive, a greeter is there to assist with the process. Social distancing is being observed to protect against transmission of the novel coronavirus. Voters who are 75 years of age or older or disabled are escorted to the front of the line, and chairs are provided for those who need them.

Masks are not required but are available for voters who request them, Nickerson said. In addition, there are at least four hand sanitizing stations in the facility. The styluses and voter cards used are sanitized after each use.

In an email dated Oct. 14, SOWEGA Rising board member Sherell Byrd criticized the performance of Nickerson’s office.

“Whether intentional or unintentional, what we are seeing currently at the early voting site in Albany is by definition voter suppression,” said the email, which was provided to The Herald by Albany City Commissioner Demetrius Young. “People waiting in line anywhere from 3 (to) 6 hours to vote is not honorable, it is unacceptable.

“We, the Election Protection Coalition, have done and offered all that was asked by (Nickerson) to assist with ensuring a smooth election process for this election and are disappointed with how this election is being managed.”

The email, written on behalf of SOWEGA Rising and the coalition, requested an update on the number of poll workers hired for the election and the number of unfilled positions, as well as an accounting of how a nearly $300,000 grant the county received to assist with the election has been spent and that early voting be moved to the Civic Center. The groups also requested to speak at the next meeting of the Albany Dougherty Board or Registration and Elections.

“People are waiting in long lines at the polls due to understaffing, poorly trained staff, insufficient number of polling stations and the building is too small,” the email said. “Our volunteers from several organizations have been on hand to supply water and snacks to people who are elderly and/or are medically fragile to endure these conditions. This should not be necessary.”