Glynn County Board of Elections adds extra hour to last days of voting before election

The Glynn County Board of Elections (BOE) voted 4-1 to extend early voting hours during the week before the general election on Nov. 5. But they also declined to add a Sunday to the dates when people could cast their ballot.

The extended hours to vote between Oct 28 to Nov 1 will cost the BOE an extra $1598 to staff seven poll workers at the three early voting locations: The Board of Elections Office, the Ballard Community Building and Fire Station #2 on Saint Simons Island. Tommy Clark, the nonpartisan appointee on the committee, voted against the decision.

The extended hours at those locations will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Board declined to vote on a proposal by Ward Schaumberg, the vice chair of the board and a Democratic Party appointee, to open early voting on a Sunday to accommodate those who may work six days a week.

“I think that the general public has asked that the Board of Elections consider this, and I think it’s a reasonable ask to satisfy the general public,” Schaumberg said.

Sue Lane, the board secretary and a Republican Party appointee, said she would not vote for the move citing conversations with constituents who believe in keeping Sundays as a day to recognize God.

“I think it’s important to honor God because our country needs his hand on our country, and we’ve gone far away from that. Traditionally, we’ve considered Sunday a day of rest, a day of worship, or the Lord’s Day,” said Lane. “

Sandy Dean the Republican Party appointee who chairs the board, said that the historic data of 2020 voter turnout doesn’t justify the added expense of Sunday voting.

“We’re not going to waste taxpayer dollars” she said. “If somebody can tell me why Sunday voting would bring more people out when you can’t get them out on Saturday. What’s so special about Sunday? We have three weeks of early voting.”

Meanwhile, the assistant director in charge of organizing elections and counting ballots says her office had to delay poll worker training because of the contested pending State Election Board meeting on Sept 20.

“It’s going to be really, really hard getting everybody trained in October, because I have to wait for these rules to come through,” said Christina Redden.,. “Everybody has their own particular one that they’re scared of. I personally don’t like the idea of ballots being counted at the precinct level. I just think people are tired. I think they become vulnerable.”

Walden added that she expects there to be much discontent with the state’s recent approval of county-level certification, which seeks to give county election boards discretion to conduct a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying election results .