Winder backs up on voter list; to start the process over again

Winder city officials have decided to scrap their 3,000-name list of voters with challenged voter registrations, according to the interim elections superintendent for Barrow County Elections and Registration.

Monica Franklin told the Barrow Journal on Friday morning that Winder officials had decided not to use the list developed over the past two months at Winder City Hall. Instead, Winder officials apparently are starting over, a move that might end up with a much shorter list of names.

Franklin said she would provide the current voter list on Oct. 10 to Winder municipal elections superintendent Sabrina Wall, who will review the names and by Oct. 14 submit to the county a new list of challenged registrations.

That deadline is three days after the Oct. 11 voter registration deadline that Franklin previously said voters with challenged registrations would have to meet by re-registering to vote. Anyone mistakenly put on the new list will apparently have to vote a provisional paper ballot in both the Winder and county elections on Nov. 8. However, the new list likely will have fewer names than the massive 40 percent of voters that had been given to the county by Winder officials during September.

Winder officials in mid September initiated the process that would have challenged up to 40 percent of the registrations of the city's registered voters. Some 2,100 of those names were published in the Sept. 28 issue of the Barrow Journal. Franklin noted Friday that the published list wasn't the final list, although she had earlier encouraged Winder officials to hurry their purging process. On Sept. 23, Franklin sent an email to Wall saying she needed the names quickly in order to get letters out to the voters on the city's list.

“Any clue when (the city receptionist) will be done?" Franklin asked. "We are on a very short time frame. These letters need to go out ASAP!! Our plan was to have the letters in the mail today or Monday. Is it possible to have (the receptionist) sent me the list periodically; say after every 250 she reviews. That way we are making progress and not just waiting on the whole list. If not, that’s okay too. That may cause more confusion. Just let me know!”

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#1 Anonymous on 09/30/11 at 01:09 PM [Reply]

I guess this shows that the city may have been hiding something. And they call the BJ reporting incorrect. Amazing isn't it?

#2 Anonymous on 09/30/11 at 01:21 PM [Reply]

Why take any names off the list this late in the game? Just wait till after the election and start fresh? For some reason they are still trying to get names removed from the list even after they have been caught red handed.

#3 Anonymous on 09/30/11 at 02:43 PM [Reply]

Better headline: "Winder punts on voter list"

That would have shown some understanding of the matter. Guess the city isn't quite grasping the problem here. Too bad.

#4 Robert Lanham on 09/30/11 at 03:37 PM [Reply]

Timing is everything. My recommendation to the Mayor and Ms. Wall is to wait until after the election and then clean up the list. If their efforts make it difficult for even one voter to exercize his or her civic duty then they should be ashamed. What is the rush?

#4.1 ashamed? on 09/30/11 at 03:38 PM [Reply]

not in their vocabulary

#4.2 wait up on 09/30/11 at 03:41 PM [Reply]

They had better not make it hard on anyone to vote. They now know it is a problem. Progressing will only open them up to legal issues. they have been fore warned I imagine by the per Sec. of State or the per city attorney.
If not they should be.

#4.2.1 Anonymous on 09/30/11 at 05:08 PM [Reply]

Why is it not already a legal issue? Our privacy has been invaded by Sabrina letting her "unemployeed" husband have access to private city records.

#4.2.1.1 John Galt on 09/30/11 at 10:05 PM [Reply]

Nowhere had it ever been reported that private records have been accessed.

#4.2.1.2 Victor on 10/01/11 at 12:04 AM [Reply]

There are no such thing as "private city records". All records kept dealing with any government are subject to Georgia's open records laws. You just have to know what to ask for.

#4.2.1.2.1 WRONG!!! on 10/01/11 at 12:15 AM [Reply]

The fact that you are registered, your address, etc is open. Your bill, how you pay and how much that bill is is not open for public record as a private citizen.
With the NVRA Act, the Federal elections are marked by your participation in the election. records are kept. How does the City of Winder keep up with your participation. do you not have to go the people at the table and they check for your name? the give you a card and you vote. they also mark that you have voted. Why then is it neccesary to check utility bills to see who is voting when?

#4.2.1.3 ?? on 10/01/11 at 01:12 AM [Reply]

Who cares. Get off the soap box. Has anyone had ANYTHING done to them because someone looked at the records? ANYTHING at all? I didnt think so. Get off the high horse. They can look at mine all day long.

#4.2.1.3.1 not at mine on 10/01/11 at 01:28 AM [Reply]

I don't know if anything has been done or not. it is too early to tell. But how about next time? How about this same thing happens again? Let me tell you, YOU may not have a problem with this, but I do. As as long as I HAVE AN ISSUE, IT WILL BE AN ISSUE. There is no "high horse" to be ridden here. But only a banner of ETHICS.

#4.2.1.3.1.1 ETHICS on 10/01/11 at 01:33 AM [Reply]

There has to be some ethic violations here.

#5 Allen H. on 09/30/11 at 03:58 PM [Reply]

Amazing...Supposedly these people have not voted in a number of past elections, therefore the city is going to purge the list. Well, if they haven't voted in the past, why think they will vote now...so what's the hurry to purge them before the election they won't vote in anyhow. Just wait until after the damn city election, then purge the list. Then folks will have plenty of time to re-register if they want to vote.

Somewhere I remember a law....State of Ga. I think that if you don't vote for something like 4 elections, your name is purged from the voters list. That may be the case here, but the way it was handled and the timing stinks. Forget about the list until after the election...admit to the folks you made a mistake.

#6 Anonymous on 09/30/11 at 11:30 PM [Reply]

If your registered and haven't voted in several elections, you should not be purged from the register. Its basically the only right or freedom we the people still have, and you shouldn't be purged from the list until a death notice has been published. I would appreciate if so called elected officials would keep there noses out of my business. Purging me from a registry without my permission or until death occurs is wrong. When you do things like this, its very suspecious to the public. I am sure there are more important thing to take care of than a few names on a voting registry.

#6.1 actually on 09/30/11 at 11:36 PM [Reply]

Actually, you can be removed from the voter registration list for lack of activity.

#7 NVRA ACT of 1993 on 09/30/11 at 11:49 PM [Reply]

You have 4 years or 2 federal elections. Interesting read. More interesting the guideline and the fact this has been enacted since 1993.
How many times in the subsequent years has Winder worked on their lis?. This is Federal Law. superceeds state or county. So per Sec of State of Georgia doesn't fly here/

#8 who is on 10/01/11 at 09:17 AM [Reply]

Does Monica Franklin work for the city or the county?

#8.1 net nanny on 10/04/11 at 03:48 PM [Reply]

She works for the county as an elections assistant for the Board of Elections

#9 Humpty Dumpty on 10/01/11 at 10:32 PM [Reply]

So... Despite Sabrina's rant about it being all the newspaper's fault she's decided to back off... just for the hell of it i guess. She must have been in attendance at that public employee's seminar (along with the Chipper) where they advised to" never, never, NEVER admit you made a mistake."

Well, in this small battle anyway, the score is: taxpayers (And the Barrow Journal) 1, Bulls*t Bureaucrats 0.

#9.1 Anonymous on 10/01/11 at 10:53 PM [Reply]

At the tag office a few years ago, they made a mistake. The wrong tag was mailed to me. When I returned and pointed out their error, they laughed. No apology. No admission that a stupid woman had erred. They just laughed.

#10 Anonymous on 10/02/11 at 12:00 AM [Reply]

Sabrina is doing all she can do to hang on to her job. When her buddy Chip is gone. She will be the one asking us "would you like fries with that?"

#11 x employe on 10/02/11 at 12:34 AM [Reply]

Many of you may not realize but the x fire chief Ray Mattison was the one giving advice on how to hold Winder together in these tough times. In addition to being the fire chief with several college degrees in administrations. When he retired I wondered how long it would take for Winder to fall apart. Sorry to see Ray not running for mayor. None of this crap would have happened if he still had Chip and Sabrina under control. They are like lost puppies.

#12 Eddie "Popeye" Wallace on 10/02/11 at 02:26 AM [Reply]

Is it any wonder people don't vote. Corruption of elections has been going on since the first vote. It is on every level. The people who have the power to control manipulates. It ranges from vote buying, dead people voting etc. As one who believed in voting and fairness I have my doubts about the results of evry election. It may only be an innocent mistake in Winder but on the other hand? What about the councilman who loves in Athens?

#12.1 Robert Lanham on 10/02/11 at 09:14 PM [Reply]

Hey, Eddie - I'm guessing you mean living instead of loving, but last time I looked, loving never was an issue. If you have an issue, take a look at Mr. Eberhart's opposition. He claims that Mr. Eberhart is supported by drug dealers. Hey, Mr. Cootey, before you show up on my door step again, how about some names? Sounds like you are a racist, at least from this 63 year old white man's perspective?

#12.1.1 Jim Cooley on 10/02/11 at 10:28 PM [Reply]

Names Mr. Lanham,
Derek Ansley 405 Harpy Eagle Drive
On parole until 2017
conviction-sale of cocaine
not racist, just I wouldn't want the support of drug dealers.
fair enough?

#12.1.1.1 Robert Lanham on 10/03/11 at 04:31 AM [Reply]

Sorry, but one name doesn't mean that your opponent is being supported by drug dealers. Note - plural - more than one. Your statement, not mine. Sounds like you have a problem with one of your neighbors.

#12.1.1.1.1 Anonymous on 10/03/11 at 06:07 AM

(Comment removed)

#13 Sec of States office on 10/04/11 at 08:46 PM [Reply]

Told me that the offices of elections( Sabrina and Monica) were suppose to meet once a month. When and where does this happen. Just wondering

#14 4 the people on 10/04/11 at 09:42 PM [Reply]

Sabrina may be saying "welcome to Walmart "if she gets what she deserves!!! I'm sure David, the next winder mayor, will not put up with her attitude. Its funny if they did nothing wrong they sure do act guilty. Maybe Chip can stand at 1 of the doors at Walmart and Sabrina at the other door. I would hate for them to have to break up !! Time for a change at the city of winder!! Just ask most
Of the city employees they can tell what's really going on.

#15 Anonymous on 10/04/11 at 09:56 PM [Reply]

Watch the work session on tv...Chip said that the list of names wasn't suppose to be made public, this way you wouldn't know you were being challenged until you went to vote...surprise!

#15.1 not work session on 10/04/11 at 10:01 PM [Reply]

It is suppose to be a meeeting only with those dealing with elections. I got a call back also.
Each month they get records from Vitil Statics and one about those convicted of felonies. So if they meet each month why are they so far behind?

#16 If you on 10/04/11 at 10:13 PM [Reply]

Sec. of State office said if you want to see what is viewable for those seeing your utility bill info, you go through the Open Records Act and they have to show you.

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Winder backs up on voter list; to start the process over again

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Winder backs up on voter list; to start the process over again

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