With election season in full swing, the Bulloch County Board of Elections and Voter Registration is gearing up for its next turn at the polls.
    Monday, in preparation for the upcoming Bulloch County General Primary, scheduled for July 31, several elections employees gathered for an orientation session to review rules and procedures for conducting a successful election.
    The morning session, held at the Kiwanis Ogeechee Fairgrounds, is one of four planned meetings to prepare veteran and rookie poll workers for managing voters during a busy election year — a year that includes not just next month’s primary, but the 2012 General/Presidential election in November.
    “There is twice as much work to do,” Bulloch County Elections Supervisor Patricia Lanier Jones said of this year’s election cycle. “We will have more people out getting others registered to vote, more registration drives and more individual voter problems to resolve.”
    “We will use additional resources and probably work between 150 and 180 people for the election,” she said.
    A large portion of the workers who will guide voters through the process were on hand for Monday’s presentations — a second event was held in the evening.
    “We will have a lot of people out here voting and, at times, much longer lines than usual,” said Dan Foglio, assistant poll manager for the Kiwanis Fairground polling location. “We will have about six more workers than usual at this location alone because we do a lot compared to other elections.”
    Despite the rush, voters can rest assured that they are in good, seasoned hands, Jones said.
    The vast majority of elections employees have weathered several election days, working polls in Bulloch County for more than a decade.
    In the meeting held Monday morning, nearly half of the approximately 40 workers attending have worked polling locations for 10 years or more.
    “I just like doing things for people and have trouble saying no,” said Foglio, who has helped conduct elections in the county for about 12 years. “I was a sheriff with the Kiwanis Club, and the manager at the time said he wanted me working the polls. I said I would and have done it ever since.”
    Action at polls throughout the county is little more than one month away from getting started.
    Polls for the Bulloch County Republican and Democratic Primary and Nonpartisan Election will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 31.
    The registration period for voting in the election will end July 2.
    As always, people must provide valid identification — a Georgia driver’s license, government ID, passport or tribal identification — to complete a ballot.
    Alternative voting opportunities include an Early/Advance voting period (July 9-27, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the Bulloch County Courthouse, and July 23-27 at the Honey Bowen Building), mail-out absentee voting (ballots will be mailed from June 16 to July 27), and Saturday voting, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Bulloch County Courthouse and Honey Bowen Building on July 21.
    Several local races — including sheriff, district attorney, and the District 1 Board of Education seat — will be featured on ballots.
    A special election question for a 1-cent, Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax  to fund regional transportation projects — commonly called T-SPLOST — will also be presented to voters.
    For more information about elections, or to view a sample ballot, people can visit the website vote.ga.gov. The site provides registration information, directions to polling places, and times and dates of voting periods.
    For more information, call the Bulloch County Board of Elections and Registration at (912) 764-6502.
   
    Jeff Harrison may be reached at (912) 489-9454.