Dougherty County seeing significantly less voters so far than in 2016 election
Preparation Underway for Upcoming Weekend Voting in Dougherty County
ALBANY, Ga. – As the Dougherty County Voter Registration and Elections Office completes the second full week of Early Voting, preparations are underway for a weekend of voting in Dougherty County for the 2020 Election, which will take place on Saturday, October 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and again on Sunday, October 25, from 12 Noon to 4 p.m. at 125 Pine Avenue in downtown Albany.
In the first almost two weeks of early voting in Dougherty County, County officials are saying voter turnout has been average, with only 4,508 votes cast as of close of business on October 20.
In contrast, the 2016 Election brought out a total of 14,368 overall votes. The Voter Registration and Elections Office is optimistic that early voters will continue to come in, especially this weekend.
They want to convey to voters that tents have been added all alongside the building up to the front, plenty of bottled water provided, as well as added security on-site throughout the day to provide safety and protection for voters to cast their ballots without any interruptions.
“Our goal is to provide our voters with the best voting experience possible,” said Ginger Nickerson, Elections Supervisor for the Dougherty County Voter Registration and Elections Office. “We have had an overwhelming amount of community support early on with poll workers signing up to help and we have a wonderful group who has been working hard since we opened the early voting precinct on October 12th.”
Nickerson also reiterated that any voters age 75 and older or who are disabled can move to the front of the line and a sitting area inside the lobby of the building will be provided until they can
get them in to cast their ballots. She emphasized that there is a greeter dedicated to working the entire line coming into the building to ask if anyone needs assistance so that they can be shifted to the front of the line and served as quickly as possible.
Additionally, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Voter Registration and Elections Office is adhering strictly to the practice of social distancing both inside and outside the building. Since there is no mask mandate, social distancing is extremely important to ensure the health safety of the voters.
Also, sanitation measures are provided with voting equipment, which is taking more time and creating a longer than usual wait time for voters. However, Nickerson reiterated that these guidelines must be followed to further protect our citizens.
