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PAGE 2A THE JACKSON HERALD WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2020 a non-partisan group directly partisan. Johnson’s being named as elections board chair man was suspect from the start. Although elections board chairmen are supposed to be non-political, Johnson continued his work with the state GOP. After the other two members on the board com plained to the court about the situation, Johnson re signed as chairman in mid-2019, just before the new five-member board took office. But Johnson’s politicization of the board had set into motion a headache for Logan, who found her self not only juggling the day-to-day responsibility of running elections and adopting a new elections system and training poll workers for 2020, but also navigating what had quickly become a board of par tisan bickering, big egos and internal strife. Of the two issues, the new elections system proved to be the easier mountain to climb. With that, Logan soon became “the” expert. “Training and documentation on how to use the system was either vague or non existent,” said hus band Joel Logan. “I saw Jennifer excel and learn how to use the new equipment by spending count less hours working through issues and figuring out how to use it when there was almost none or very little help from the State of Georgia or their vendor. Other election people in counties all over and often the State themselves will contact her for help and with questions because she has become so knowl edgeable on the new system and equipment.” THE BOARD While Logan adjusted to the new equipment, ad justing to a bickering, partisan elections board was a bigger problem. Meetings soon became lengthy with a slew of off-topic discussions and rants. Af ter Johnson quit in 2019, there was hope the board would stabilize, but that only lasted a short time. In early 2020, the elections board faced a difficult decision regarding a candidate for city council in Hoschton. A citizen of the town challenged the res idency of candidate James Lawson. That challenge went to Logan’s office where she convened a meet ing of the elections board to rule on the issue. Although the board faces these kinds of challeng es occasionally, they aren’t common and this one was especially thorny given the tremendous turmoil, including a recall effort, that had been happening in Hoschton during the previous months. Making it more problematic was that one of Logan’s elections board members had been directly involved in the political controversy in Hoschton, raising a question of fairness. The elections board at first ruled that Lawson wasn’t a resident and couldn’t be a candidate. Law- son sued and a judge ruled in his favor, putting the city’s election on hold and instructing the elections board to take another look. In March, it held a sec ond hearing and this time, ruled in Lawson’s favor, with one Republican member of the board voting against the decision. Lawson eventually won at the ballot box, but the episode left the elections board divided and was a sign of things to come. As 2020 moved on, bickering on the board became more intense, sometimes with shouting and personal recriminations aired during meetings. Logan had to deal with all of that and still do her job despite a fractured board. THE VIRUS The nation knew that there was a dangerous virus in February, but few saw the huge impact it would have. By March, everything changed. As the pandemic washed over the nation, businesses closed, a stay- at-home order was handed down by the state and everything, it seemed, was put on hold. That included the March primary elections, which were postponed until May, then postponed again un til June. One thing that wasn’t on hold, however, was the planning for the election. Logan and her staff were one of the only county offices still functioning as the virus hit. “She struggled to bring in as many poll workers who were brave enough to help and the county man ager Kevin Poe sent to her several county employ ees from other departments to help with the insane amount of work,” Joel said of last spring’s shutdown. To help keep people safe, the state began to en courage absentee balloting, a move that quickly be came controversial. In May, the elections board voted 4-1 to encour- Logan continued from 1A age the state to move to absentee-only voting due to the pandemic. The vote was non-binding and only a suggestion, but it split the local Republican Party. Board member Erma Denny, who pushed the idea, was asked to resign by the local GOP. She didn’t resign until later in the year and continued to clash with other board members and local Republican leaders over absentee balloting and a host of other issues. As a result of the virus, a lot of people did vote ab sentee in the spring primary, a situation that flooded Logan’s elections office with a massive amount of work. Signatures on absentee envelopes have to be matched with signatures on record in the office and verified and absentee ballots then have to be handled in a special way. Absentee voting creates a lot more work than in-person voting for the elections office. In addition, Logan had to find enough poll work ers who would agree to work at voting locations for the primary amid the pandemic. In the end, the June voting proved to be a massive undertaking. The state hadn’t equipped the county with enough scanners for the flood of absentees. And some elections board members at first were re luctant to help with the election night processing of ballots as was traditional. (The board did ultimately help, staying late into the night helping process ab sentee ballots.) Amid all the delays and turmoil caused by the vi rus, Logan was able to rally enough front line poll workers to hold the election and then tally the re sults. It took time due to the state’s equipment short age, but she had survived what was perhaps the most difficult election in the county’s history. “We knew coming into this year, we would be faced with brand new equipment and a heated pres idential election — that alone would make it a chal lenging year,” she said. “But no one could have pre pared us for this year! With lots of long 12-18 hour days, lots of weekends and a wonderful, dedicated staff, we managed to overcome the all challenges we faced and are better prepared to move forward in the future.” AGAIN, AGAIN AND AGAIN While the primary election was a major undertak ing given the delays, new equipment, the virus and the flood of absentee ballots, the work wasn’t over. First there was a recount of the state court judge’s race in Jackson County following the primary in June. Then there was an August runoff for a handful of races. Then came November and the controversial presi dential race. The county had its highest turnout ever, over 37,000 ballots were cast in that election. Then there was a state-mandated hand recount of all ballots. Then there was a state-mandated machine recount of all ballots. The November ballots were counted three times, but still some people, including the president, con tinued to claim the state’s election had been rigged or stolen. Logan said she did get calls from people who echoed what they were seeing in the media about the election, but that her office also got a lot of pos itive feedback. “We do our best to explain our processes and be as transparent to the public as we can possibly be to en sure our voters that we are doing everything we can to conduct accurate and safe elections in our coun ty,” she said. “We have heard a great deal of won derful feedback and support from our community.” Despite that, one of Logan’s board members, a newly-appointed Republican member, voted against certifying the county’s November election results despite there being no problems and no evidence of any kind of fraud. It was a stab in the back to the county’s elections system by one of its own board members. Even after all of that, the chaos for Logan in 2020 wasn’t over. A controversial runoff for the state’s two Senate seats is slated for Jan. 5. Just before Christmas, Ron Johnson — the same Ron Johnson who had once been the controversial chairman of the elections board — brought a spurious challenged against over 2,000 registered voters in the county. A deeply divided, partisan county elections board rejected his challenge 3-2, but the situation drained time and resources away from Logan preparing for the looming runoff. And it also demonstrated just how deep the poi- Jackson County elections director Jenni fer Logan during one of November’s ballot recounts. son of the national political culture had infected our local politics. DIFFICULT YEAR It’s clear that Logan has faced a very difficult year holding elections amid a pandemic, a national politi cal hothouse and a local elections board that at times has been little more than partisan drama writ small. And it’s not been easy for Jennifer. Husband Joel said that the bickering and national disdain for our elections system has affected her. But it’s not stopped her. “The main thing that keeps her going is serving the citizens of Jackson County and knowing that they are able to vote and take part in what is an im portant cornerstone of our great nation,” Joel said. He also pointed out that unlike some other coun ties, the elections in Jackson County this year have been done without major problems. “I think you don’t have to look very far to see there is a night and day difference in how our elections run verses other counties,” he said. “Though she is not the only person responsible for this — she has many great poll workers and employees that make it pos sible — I believe her endless work and dedication to her job has made our elections successful and stand out when compared with other counties. Please keep in mind I am married to her and love her very much so I am also very biased.” Joel may be biased, but it’s clear that he’s right about the tremendous dedication Jennifer has had for conducting fair, honest and accessible elections in Jackson County. For her part, Jennifer credits her staff for the suc cess of 2020 despite all the challenges. “I have a wonderful extended work family whom I can depend on to show up at a moment’s notice,” she said. “Just a text or email is all it takes to fill my office with hardworking individuals, who work tirelessly on any task given. My work family extends from my wonderful office staff and helpers from other county offices, to my dedicated poll officials... a group like no other, with big willing hearts and warm smiles that make it all worthwhile.” Previous Newsmakers Those previously selected as “Newsmakers of the Year” were: •2019 Hoschton Recall Committee •2018 Marty Clark and the ag facility steering commit tee •2017 Warehouse growth •2016 Mark Beardsley, Commerce News editor •2015 Steve Nichols, director of public safety •2014 John Jackson, Jefferson City Schools superin tendent •2013 April Howard, Jackson County Schools super intendent •2012 Brantley Gilbert, country musician •2011 Shannon Adams, county school superintendent •2010 Shane Short, chamber of commerce president •2009 Katherine Rintoul, Scott Rogers and Bill Gamer, Pendergrass “whistleblowers” •2008 Shaun Whitehead, solider killed in Iraq •2007 Darren Glenn, Jefferson police chief •2006 Kathy Wilbanks, county BOE chairman •2005 Pat Graham, Braselton mayor •2004 Stan Evans, sheriff •2003 Concerned Citizens of Jackson County •2002 Scott Martin, IDA chair •2001 Emil Beshara, BOC •2000 Jerry Waddell, BOC chair •1999 Rep. Scott Tolbert •1998 Richard Cathey, chamber of commerce •1997 Pat Bell, commissioner •1996 Citizens United for a Better Jackson County •1995 Ronnie Hopkins, Jefferson BOE chairman, and Andy Byers, Jackson County superintendent •1994 Jerry Waddell, BOC chair •1993 Charles Segars, Arcade mayor •1992 Bill Mahaffey, BOC chair •1991 Sandy Beem, concerned citizen •1990 Henry Robinson, BOC chair Request for letters remembering JHS Coach Jack Keen Plans continue for the Celebration of Life event honoring the late Coach Jack Keen to be held on Sunday, April 25, in The Arena at Jefferson High School. An exhibit of memorabilia showcasing the life of Coach Keen will open at 1 pm and the ceremony will begin at 2 pm. One of the day’s events will be a presentation to the Keen family of a bound book of letters of peoples’ memories of Coach Keen and how he impacted their lives. If there is a memory you would like to share with the family, you are invit ed to write a letter to be included in the book. Starting on January 4, 2021, letters may be dropped off at the Crawford Long Muse um, located at 28 Col lege Street, Jefferson, in downtown Jefferson, or mailed to Letter to Keen Family, 28 College Street, Jefferson, GA., 30549. Letters may be emailed to blaughing- house@cityofjefferson- ga.com. Letters must be typed or handwritten in ink and should be limited to one page. Letters will be ac cepted for inclusion in the book through March 12,2021. Jack Nolan Keen passed away on July 25, 2020. He spent 50 years in education; 42 of those years were at Jefferson High School as a teach er, coach, and mentor to thousands of students. Motor vehicle department to be closed Jan. 13-18 The Jackson County Tax Commissioners Office’s Motor Vehicle Department will be closed January 13- 18. The office will resume normal business hours Tuesday. January 19. This is a statewide clo sure for each county due to a software update by the Georgia Department of Revenue and Department of Driver’s Services. In ad dition to office closure, on line services and kiosks will also be disabled during that time. If your renewal period falls within those dates pen alties will be removed. CHURCH RACE SRCNSCRS Worship regularly at the church of your choice! Bonco Realty “Let Bonco Realty work for you ” Phone & FAX (706) 367-HOME 1-800-442-6626 Car Problems? 706-367-1400 We’re there when you need us! Lube Oil & Filter Specials TRINITY TIRE and AUTO 1810 Washington Street, Jefferson, GA AUTO SERVICE CENTER’” 803 Lee Street • Jefferson, GA 30549 Phone; 706-367-4182 • Fax: 706-367-2023 I RAPID- 5 6 | ROOTER. i i ,i i-.. 1 .' ,'i4 543-9850 \J«| 543-1234 g« ARMOUR PLUMBING Plumbing & Septic Service Gary H. Armour & Staff Jefferson Tire & Battery, Inc. Athens, Rd. 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