Brooks County Board of Elections 2012-07-17

The person chairing the Brooks County Board of Elections didn’t like George Rhynes recording their public open meeting, and didn’t know that state law says anyone can.

She asked repeatedly:

What are you doing?

Several people explained to her that Georgia law says he can. Then she unilaterally declared an executive session without any vote or saying what it was for. Several people explained to her she couldn’t do that. Her response (after the video clip):

Video by George Boston Rhynes for bostongbr on YouTube.

I just am feeling very threatened at this point, very picked on and torn apart.

Eventually she declared the meeting adjourned without any vote. Various people explained to her she needed a motion and a vote for that, too.

Then they suspended someone from the election office until an investigation could take place.

I would post names of the various people, but I can’t find any list of members or employees of the Brooks County Board of Elections online.

In addition to the Quitman Board of Elections not understanding Georgia’s sunshine laws, apparently there could be some irregularities in voter qualification in Brooks County, Georgia.

This video starts well along in the meeting (George is posting videos of the rest of the meeting).

Brooks County Board of Elections 2012-07-17
Video by George Boston Rhynes for bostongbr on YouTube.

The first speaker on the video is JC Cunningham, pointing at some papers that he seemed to think indicated candidate qualifying irregularities. He got a response from someone who said he was on the board, who asserted they were all new on the board and he didn’t know how certification goes, but they were all trying. The next speaker (apparently the chair) said she volunteered because she cared about the process. Another speaker (striped shirt) asked for authorization to bring an irregularity to the attention of the Sheriff’s Department. Discussion ensued as to who got asked for identification or not.

The Mrs. Dennard named in the video is Nancy Whitfield Dennard, who was elected in 2010 to the Brooks County Board of Election Education, which then elected her president. She’s the one in the flowery blue top.

Gov. Deal later appointed a committee that suspended her from office. This was because of the charges against her and the rest of the Quitman 10 (now Quitman 10+2) about the 2010 election. And it’s the Brooks County Board of Elections that was in charge of that election. (Nope; see other post.) This is apparently an all-new Board of Elections, but they seem to be having some problems.

Apparently a year after being put in office they still don’t even know how to run a meeting. Do they know how to run an election?

At least one of the Board of Elections feels threatened and picked on. I wonder how the Quitman 10 feel, having been charged more than a year ago and still having not even had a trial? Nancy Dennard of the Quitman 10 was sitting right in front of the woman who was complaining about being picked apart.

-jsq