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Athens Voters Get Word of New Precincts, and More Local News

Credit: Jennifer Denson

The Athens-Clarke County Elections Office mailed out new voter registration cards earlier this month to more than 82,000 registered voters—and voters should be sure to check them, because many will be voting at new locations starting with the Mar. 12 presidential primaries.

Last year, election officials redrew voting precincts for the first time in at least 30 years. As the population grew and shifted over the decades, some precincts got too busy, while few people voted at others. In addition, officials needed to find new buildings for some precincts that can handle the electrical demands of the state’s voting equipment. All in all, one precinct at the Oglethorpe Avenue fire station was eliminated, a new one at the Miriam Moore Community Center was created, and six other precincts have new voting locations.

The process was complicated because Athens has four state House districts, two state Senate districts, 10 commission districts and nine school board districts, and none of them match up with each other or the precinct lines, Director of Elections and Voter Registration Charlotte Sosebee said at a Feb. 11 Board of Elections meeting. The Georgia Secretary of State’s office also rolled out new record-keeping software without proper training, she said. Because of that, about 1,000 voters likely received two cards. Sosebee urged anyone with questions to call her office or visit the secretary of state’s My Voter Page.

Since the parties’ nominees for president are all but decided, turnout is expected to be low in March, giving election workers a chance to work out any kinks with the new precincts before higher-turnout local and state races in May. Voters who do vote in person next month will also get a chance to familiarize themselves with new voting sites.

Odds and Ends

Longtime Athens-Clarke County employee Laura Welch has taken over as interim director of the ACC Human Resources Department after Jeff Hale left Feb. 9 to pursue a job in the private sector. Welch was Human Resources’ assistant director, and also served as court administrator for five years and two stints in the auditor’s office.

Cedar Shoals High School principal Antonio Derricotte has resigned effective June 30. The Local School Governance Team is undertaking a search for a replacement.

Clarke Central High School has a new assistant principal, Terry Liggin. He comes to CCSD after 18 years as a teacher and department head in Kentucky, Tennessee and North Carolina.

At Burks (formerly Chase Street) Elementary, principal Tracy Neal abruptly resigned last month. Assistant principal Matthew Snow has taken over, with instructional coach Magen Watkins serving as interim assistant principal. 

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