Election Board Changes Five Polling Locations For November

Voters in five of Oconee County’s 12 precincts will be voting in a different location on Nov. 3 than in the past as a result of action taken by the Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration last week.

Voters in Farmington and Bishop precincts will vote at Bishop Baptist Church, 1110 Old Bishop Road, rather than at the community centers of the two cities, as has been the case in the past.

Voters in North High Shoals and North Oconee precincts will vote at Grace Fellowship Church, 1120 Malcom Bridge Road, rather that at North High Shoals Town Hall and the North Oconee High School Field House.

Voters in Athens Academy Precinct, who currently vote at the Athens Academy Spartan Center at the school’s campus off U.S. 441, will vote at the Civic Center, 2661 Hog Mountain Road, unless the county can find another location before the November election.

Though the Board has discussed consolidating these precincts, the action taken on Tuesday is stopgap to provide more space for equipment and voters at what is expected to be a heavy turnout election during an ongoing pandemic.

The Board on Tuesday also approved holding all early voting at the Civic Center rather than the Board of Elections and Registration Office, 10 Court Street, across from the Courthouse in downtown Watkinsville, to provide needed space for that process as well.

For more on the story, with videos of the last three Board of Elections and Registration meetings, please go to Oconee County Observations.