Hart BOC Approves Extra Advance Voting Funding
Hart County’s Board of Registrars is getting some extra funding from the county to cover salaries for extra workers during early voting.
This is the first week of early voting for the November General Election and already the staff is overwhelmed at the Hart County Board of Registrars office, according to Registrar John Stercho.
Speaking to the Hart County Board of Commissioners Monday evening, Stercho said since advance/early voting began Monday, all eight voting machines in the Registrar’s office are continually in use by voter coming in to advance vote.
“Hart County had 144 ballots cast Monday. On Tuesday we had another 74 votes cast,” he told the board. “We have 205 absentee mail out ballots we have yet to process. Facing this situation, I have provided you with a supplemental request.”
Stercho then requested an additional $3,766.61 sohe could pay his workers.
Last month, Commisisoners would not approve any extra help in the Registrar’s office for early voting due to budget constraints. Stercho said that has resulted in his poll workers having to work overtime and in one case, without pay.
“The clerk who works in the office has worked two weekends to bring us up to date to bring us functionality in the office,” Stercho said. “Miss Kay worked an additional pay day in the prior pay week and I could not pay her because that was not factored in the funding. She has also provided two additional days support to the clerk to get us to functionality.”
However, commission chair Joey Dorsey said the extra pay and the back pay should come out of two payrolls.
But a frustrated Stercho said he had factored all of that into the amount requested.
“This is not what we’re attempting to spend to rook the taxpayers,” Stercho said. “I’m trying to give a high-ball figure so that we do not go over and put us into a scenario like last November where I had to come back and say, ‘Oh I’ve spent more now we need more money.'”
After more discussion, commissioner RC Oglesby motioned to award the Registrar’s office the funding Stercho requested.
The motion passed unanimously.