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<\/a>\r\n\r\nPhoto: Gretchen Quarterman, of Lowndes County Elections Supervisor Deb Cox, with Lowndes County Board of Elections Members Ray Corbett, Carla Jordan, and Jackie Goolsby.\r\n<\/p>\r\n
\r\nThomas Lynn, Valdosta Daily Times, 12 March 2019,\r\n\r\nUPDATE: ACLU to attend board of elections meeting<\/a>,\r\n \r\nVALDOSTA — The American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia plans\r\nto attend the Lowndes County Board of Elections meeting Tuesday.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThis comes after the ACLU sent Deb Cox, elections supervisor, a\r\nletter urging the election board to open a polling location at the\r\nValdosta State University main campus.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nCox responded\r\n\r\n to the letter by inviting the ACLU to the Board of\r\nElections meeting 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at the elections\r\noffice at 2808 N. Oak St.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nIn her response to the letter, Cox said the polling place was closed\r\nbecause students, faculty and staff did not utilize the location for\r\nearly voting or Election Day voting.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n“On a campus of thousands, 1,097 were registered to vote in that\r\nprecinct,” Cox said. “Thirty-two actually voted, and only eight\r\nvoted in the VSU polling place. The rest voted early or by mail, and\r\nthere was only one provisional vote.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nShe said many VSU students who vote either vote by mail or returning\r\nto their home counties and do not change their voter registration to\r\nLowndes.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nThe ACLU letter stated the closure of the VSU polling location would\r\nhave a “disproportionate impact on people of color.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\nThere’s more in that article, including:\r\n \r\nThe biggest problem, she said, is obtaining poll workers.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n“We currently can’t recruit enough poll workers to staff the nine\r\ncurrent precincts,” Cox said. “College students are notorious for\r\nnot showing up for training or on Election Day. Georgia law requires\r\na minimum staffing of three persons, which is insufficient to run a\r\npolling place.”\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nCox said in her response that there were positives to reopening a\r\nVSU polling place in November 2019.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\nIt would get students used to the idea of voting on campus before\r\n2020 and possibly encourage voting among the college population,\r\ninstructors and staff.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n“Encouraging students to register to vote in Lowndes County would\r\nresolve a lot of issues,” Cox said. “The timing may be right to try\r\na polling place on campus again, if students would step up and\r\ncommit to being poll workers and attending training.\r\n<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\n \r\nHere’s\r\n\r\na LAKE video playlist:<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n
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