In a testy political atmosphere where partisans have raised doubts about the reliability of free and fair elections, the Putnam County Board of Elections is looking for a new elections supervisor.
Lynne Lasiter, who served Putnam in that role for the better part of the last decade, told the board early in July of her resignation effective Sept. 1, this year. She is getting married and moving to Greenville, S.C.
“The window is quite short” before this year’s general election in November, acknowledged board Chairman Charles Patten, who also serves as chairman of the county’s Republican party. “We are definitely looking for somebody with experience.”
However, even with the next meeting of the board scheduled for Sept. 5, it has not set a deadline for filling the position and will keep it open until a satisfactory candidate is found, Patten said. As of two weeks ago, he said the board had received only one application.
In the meantime, assistant supervisor Kimberly Rudolph will run the office after Lisiter’s departure.
While the small office— three, sometimes four, employees—is most visible every other year during election seasons, its daily duties are numerous. Two websites list 23 functions for the office and 12 qualifications and skills needed for the post. One website (glga.org) is run by the state associations for cities and for counties, listing employment opportunities in local governments all around the state.
The second is specific to Putnam County (putnamcountyga. us, clicking first on “Departments,” then “HR,” then “Employment Opportunities.”) Printed versions are also available from the elections office or the county’s human resources office, both in the administration building off U.S. 441 north of Eatonton.
While the functions and qualifications are numerous and have some latitude, they may not be all-inclusive. In today’s political climate, Job One for the temporary or permanent supervisor, and for the fivemember board itself, would seem to be found in both Democrats and Republicans being able to leave the November voting booths confident the election here had been welcoming and meticulously run while leading to accurate, honest results.