Observations©

By Donald S. Conkey

Date: July 24, 2008 - # 8830 - Title: Primary Election (820)

This column is my tribute to the entire Cherokee County Election office and what this office means to our system of government. Last week this office managed the primary election so efficiently that there were few, if any, who complained of how easy it was for them to vote for the candidate of their choice.

            The election office, non political, is an example of just how well the various offices of county government can cooperate and provide for its citizens a fair and honest election process.  The state legislature writes the election laws, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office administers those laws, but it is county government that provides the funds, facilities and personnel that brings all these laws together to make a system work that allows each registered voter the opportunity to exercise their responsibility and constitutional right to cast a ballot for those they want to write their laws and govern over them.

            The county commission provides the necessary funds with the county school system, library system, fire stations and local churches providing the facilities. What a cooperate effort this is to observe. It is county/community cooperation at its best.

            The county has its own election office supervised by an appointed elections commission. The county elections office is located in the Al Stone building on East Main Street in Canton and is managed by Janet Munda who was selected several years ago to succeed Al Stone who was the revered manager of this office when Joan and I moved to Cherokee County in 1995. Ms. Munda has supervised the process of bringing the election office into the computer era. This has not been an easy job and there are still those who would return us to the old paper ballot days.

            Joan and I became involved in this election system when Linda Parker asked us to be members of her precinct team in 1996. At that time we were still using paper ballots, not a lot different from the 1930s when I observed mom and dad (Dad was Township clerk) manage the Lake Township precinct in Huron County Michigan.  

            When Al Stone asked for new precinct managers Linda recommended Joan. She was first assigned to the Sutallee precinct and I became one of her assistants. We met a number of new people in this assignment and this was our introduction into the county election system. In the next election Stone needed a new manager for the Bascomb precinct in Towne Lake and tapped Joan to be that manager. Again I tagged along as one of her assistants.

And on July 15, when I wrote this column, Joan was again managing the Bascomb precinct, but with two new more qualified assistants. Joan is one of 45 volunteer precinct managers who the voters see when they arrive at a precinct to cast their ballot – now electronically.

And it is these 45 volunteers, plus their assistants and the other workers who make the system flow smoothly. While they receive a small stipend for their services it barely covers the expenses they incur for training and picking up and returning the election equipment entrusted to them as managers.

Many of these volunteers are senior citizens and it has not been an easy transformation for them from the old paper ballots to the new computer system. I know it wasn’t for me. But the training that is provided by Ms. Munda and her staff has met the challenge and has helped our senior volunteers meet the challenges associated with their heavy responsibilities of managing their precincts.

And it is not easy arising at 5 a.m. on Election Day to be at the precinct by 6 a.m. and to swear in each poll worker as required by law. And it is a long long day – 5 a.m. to after 10 p.m. when they arrive home after closing the polls at 7 p.m., posting their precinct voting results on the precinct door and then going to the election office in Canton to deliver the machine tallies, signs and equipment.

These are the people who are the heroes of our unique election system, a system where the people choose their elected representatives to govern them. And they are also our Election Day patriots.

But as in every system where people are involved there are those who pollute and corrupt the system. In this election it was those individuals who went around Eagle Watch stealing Roger Garrison signs right out of our yards – twice – late at night. These people are not only politically immature but are immature period - in addition to being political cowards. And they who support this type of behavior have no business being elected to public office nor do they deserve our respect.

Fortunately these types are few in number and do little to dull the luster hovering over those who volunteer allowing each of us to vote - for the candidate of ‘our’ choice.