Because of a COVID-19 emergency, Election Day voters from Bulloch County’s “Fair” Precinct – who normally vote in the community building at the Kiwanis Ogeechee Fairgrounds, 16942 Georgia Highway 67 – will need to go instead to Pittman Park United Methodist Church to vote Tuesday.

The church, at 1102 Fair Road, will also serve voters from its regular “Pittman Park” precinct. Fair Road is a local name for part of Highway 67, so the church is just up the highway further into Statesboro from the fairgrounds.  

Pittman Park UMC and the county’s other 14 remaining precinct locations will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday for their voters who haven’t already voted early or absentee in the U.S. Senate and state Public Service Commission runoffs.

COVID-19 emergency

The Bulloch County Board of Elections and Registration held an emergency meeting at 1 p.m. Wednesday after the Fair Precinct poll manager and assistant poll manager had to quarantine or isolate because of COVID-19.

“If neither of these officials are able to serve on election day, it would be difficult if not impossible to successfully operate the polling place at 16942 Highway 67,” county Elections Board chair Hadley Campbell stated in a letter sent to the State Elections Board after the meeting.

Just two of the local board’s three voting members, Campbell and board secretary Jill Boykin, attended the meeting in the county commissioners’ chambers.  Boykin made the motion to adopt the emergency resolution for the temporary change of polling place, and Campbell seconded it and announced a 2-0 decision.

Elections Supervisor Patricia Lanier Jones, County Attorney Jeff Akins and some other county officials attended.

“It’s a matter of being prepared for Tuesday because today I don’t know,” Jones said when asked to elaborate on reasons for the move.

In other words, she didn’t know whether either of the affected poll officers would be able to work Tuesday, but the decision had to be made while there was still time to get the news out to voters.

“If we go ahead … get it in the paper, get it out, everybody (from Fair Precinct) will know to come to the Pittman Park Church,” Jones said. “That way I’ve got more experienced poll workers, a manager that can help.”

Number of voters

She noted that about 750 or fewer people voted in person at each of these precincts Nov. 3 in the general election. In past years, more than 1,500 people voted in a single day at Pittman Park alone.

“We expect it to be a little bit less because of the runoff and the nature of the runoff,” Jones said. “You know, anything is possible.”

Meanwhile, of course, many more people have been voting early and absentee than in comparable elections in previous years.

Bulloch County Democratic Party chair Jessica Orvis asked if “a backup poll manager” or assistant poll manager could instead be placed in charge of the Fairgrounds location.

Jones acknowledged that she has been training more poll workers, but said that “because of COVID issues we’ve had all year,” limiting training opportunities, none were ready yet to step up to manage a precinct.

Separate voting machines will be set up for the two precincts Tuesday inside the Pittman Park United Methodist Church social hall, and Fair Precinct poll workers will be working there on their precinct’s side of the room, Jones said.

Officials also promised to post signs and notices at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds to redirect any voters who do not get the word by Tuesday and go there.