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Mon election director
‘We are going to run a successi election’
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Editor’s note: Fulton County’s Registration and Elections board
was widely criticized for voting problems during the 2012 elec
tion. Reporter Newspapers asked the county’s new elections direc
tor why residents should expect things to be better in 2013-
Elections are a conglomerate of moving parts. You have
voters, poll workers, county elections staff, county depart
ments, municipalities, candidates, boards that oversee reg
istration, and elections offices and elected officials trying to
work in sync. With people at the center of the spokes, as im
perfect as we are, it’s a wonder successful elections happen.
In addition to bureaucracy and people involved in an elec
tion, statutory requirements govern the process.
Having worked in three different counties in two states on
the government side of elections, and 37 counties spanning
eight states with two election system vendors, I have seen my
share of smooth elections.
When I was the elections administrator for Williamson Coun
ty, Tex., for more than six years, I oversaw 31 successful elections.
I know what it takes to administer a successful election.
A successful or smooth election is different from a perfect
election. I am unaware of anyone that has seen a perfect elec
tion. Election offices can have internal miscommunications;
poll workers can misinterpret instructions; a piece of electron
ic equipment can malfunction; or, a myriad of other miscues
can occur.
How you manage issues that arise during an election is
what separates counties that succeed from those that under
perform.
Fulton County has the charge of administering elections for
many municipalities. Concerns have been raised as to wheth
er the Department of Registration and Elections can run a
smooth election for the political jurisdictions of the county.
This department has had six directors since 2007, including
me. During that time, municipal elections have run smoothly.
In addition, in 2009-2010, during the tenure of one director,
the Registration and Elections department conducted smooth
elections across the board.
In spite of several challenges that are looming with regard
to the state of Georgia’s new voter registration system, Elec-
tioNet, I emphatically believe that we are going to run a suc
cessful election.
In July, Fulton County migrated from the old statewide
voter registration system, Legacy,
to ElectioNet. Post-migration has
been a major challenge for us. We
are, however, moving closer to en
suring that the data for our voters
is correct.
The issues we have with Electio
Net are far from unique to us. From
what I have discovered, other metro
counties and most counties across
the state are having issues.
Even Kennesaw State Univer- RICHARD L.
sity, the institution that builds the BARRON
ballots and programs the elections nwr MI IHUHI0T
for counties, is frustrated by Elec- uUhM lULUMNIM
tioNet. They need our data to build
our ballots. Whether the data is
sound, they are going to build our ballot.
Last week we finished entering reapportionment changes
and exceptions in our voter registration database. Now, our
Geographic Information Systems department is underway au
diting that data. Once we receive the results of the CIS audit,
we will send the results to each municipality in order for each
jurisdiction to reconcile the data.
I am confident that these audits and the reconciliation pro
cess will result in sound data.
We are changing the way we are training poll workers, too.
Poll workers are so important to the success of our elections.
They are the face of our department. We have the responsibil
ity to train them professionally, to respect their efforts, and to
provide them with the tools to succeed.
My staff shares commonalties with the counties to which I
referred above, those where I have witnessed smooth elections.
They are dedicated, hard-working, smart-working, proactive,
and able to adapt and react to changing circumstances.
When you combine our efforts to reconcile our voter reg
istration data, our commitment to deliver quality training to
poll workers, and the quality and character of my staff, I am
confident that we are going to run a smooth, successful mu
nicipal general election.
Richard L. Barron is the director of the Fulton County Board
of Registration dr Elections.
On the record
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“It’s a vindication for me.”
- Dunwoody City Councilmember Adrian Bonser
after being cleared of an ethics complaint in which she was
accused of being condescending to a constituent.
“We get the bar bill, but we
don’t get a drink.”
- Atlanta City Councilmember
Yolanda Adrean about the effects
of developments on community
borders and lack of impact fees.
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10 | SEPT. 20 — OCT. 3, 2013 | www.ReporterNewspapers.net
