LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga. — The Lumpkin County Board of Elections will host the first in a series of town hall meetings today to provide information on the consolidation of all the county’s voting precincts into just one – the Park and Recreation Department for the November election.

Today’s meeting will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the Dawsonville Assembly of God, 2152 Dawsonville Highway in Dahlonega.

The reason for the consolidation is that the current polling places, like most county government buildings, fail to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The Park and Recreation facility is ADA compliant.

Chief Registrar & Election Manager Ashley Peck said Tuesday it would cost between $55,000 and $65,000 to bring all voting locations into compliance.

“We really haven’t had many complaints just requests for information,” Peck said. “The biggest concern seems to be how long people would have to wait to vote at just one location.”

Ironically, Peck added, the waiting times will be shortened tremendously when more than 20 voting machines and all personnel are brought under one roof.

Peck said an ADA specialist inspected all government buildings in March and found most, it not all, were non-compliant. “We then studied our options and decided this was the best one,” she said.

All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be held at the the following locations:
Tuesday, July 5, Dahlonega Assembly of God;
Thursday, July 7, Phillipi Community Center;
Tuesday, July 12 Auraria Community Clubhouse;
Thursday, July 14 Dahlonega, Park and Rec Community Center;
Thursday, July 21, R-Ranch in the Mountains.