Dougherty Elections officials ready for voters’ return to polls in January

ALBANY — As attention turns to the holiday season Georgians still have a few more weeks of television campaign ads to look forward to as there are a few more elections to be decided in late 2020 and early 2021.

While the names of the candidates in the two U.S. Senate races are familiar, particularly since several have made trips to Albany, those of Lauren “Bubba” McDonald and Daniel Blackman maybe not so much.

Those two candidates will be in the third race on the Jan. 5 ballot. McDowell, the Republican incumbent, and Blackman, a Democrat, initially were slated to be in a separate Dec. 1 runoff contest but it was combined with the other runoffs.

Three weeks of early voting for the races begins in the thick of the Christmas season on Dec. 14 and will extend through Dec. 31, with no voting on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

After complaints were made about long lines at the downtown location during early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, the Albany Dougherty County Board of Registration and Elections voted last week to hold early voting for the runoff at the Albany Civic Center.

Complaints also were made to law enforcement about activities outside the site that prohibit election activity within 150 feet of a polling place.

The Civic Center should alleviate one concern — that of voters standing out in the elements, as there is plenty of room inside for voters to wait in case of inclement weather.

“I think it’s another venue,” said Dougherty County Election Supervisor Ginger Nickerson. “We had voting there before, but it was years ago. We’ve never used the arena. This will be my first experience in the arena.”

While Senate runoff races are not that unusual, having two in the same year is a rare occurrence.

Nickerson said she could not make any prediction on turnout.

Runoff elections traditionally see a sharp drop-off in participation. However, with the Senate makeup after Nov. 3 set at 50-48 in favor of Republicans, the two races could shift control of the body. In the event of a 50-50 split vote, the vice president gets to cast the tie-breaking vote.

“I don’t (predict),” Nickerson said. “We prepare for everybody. Our hope is everybody comes out, every eligible voter.”

Voters who did not vote on Nov. 3 are eligible to vote in the three races. The last day for voters to register, if they have not done so, is Dec. 7.

Nickerson encourages voters to seek out credible sources of information about voting, either from her office or the Secretary of State’s website, rather than online sources that sometimes disseminate erroneous information.

“We strongly suggest people follow responsible sites and call our office if they have any questions,” she said. “We’re grateful the state combined the two elections.”

The county’s 28 voting precincts had adequate staffing for the Nov. 3 election, and Nickerson said she expects that will be the case on Jan. 5, as less people likely will be needed in the runoff.

In addition to early voting and in-person at the 28 precincts, voters will have the opportunity to place absentee ballots in four drop box locations, as was the case in November.

Georgia allows “no excuse” absentee voting, meaning a voter does not have to be out of town on the day of the election in order to vote absentee.

Voters can request an absentee ballot by visiting https://sos.ga.gov/index.php/Elections/absentee_voting_in_georgia.