MACON, Ga. — The Macon-Bibb County Board of Elections is working to shorten the distance to the polls at the Macon Mall, according to a report from the Macon Newsroom.
They say the board first became aware of accessibility issues at the mall voting site in December 2022. Now, the board is considering ways to reduce the walking distance for voters.
Elections Supervisor Tom Gillon suggested setting up advanced voting in the county’s new courtrooms, according to the report. The courtrooms have curbside access near the mall entrances on Bloomfield Road and Mercer University Drive.
There is also a canopy over the courtrooms’ entrance, and room to form a line of people waiting to vote inside.
The report says that William Noland, the board’s attorney, is planning to find out whether Georgia law will allow placement of an absentee ballot drop box at the courtrooms.
In the 2020 Presidential Election, outdoor ballot drop boxes were permitted to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. After the contentious conclusion to that election, Georgia lawmakers tightened regulations and limited drop box use to reduce the risk of ballot stuffing and fraud.
Voting boxes can no longer be left outdoors. They are only available during office hours, and must be under surveillance during those hours.
The report says the Board of Elections was considering the new library branch as a potential voting location, but decided it wasn’t large enough to hold potential voters.
The board also discussed the addition of golf carts or motorized transport to improve access, according to the report. Instead, they moved a couple of voting machines outside of the office and into a sprawling lobby.
Voting opens Oct. 15 for the upcoming presidential election. The board also agreed to hold the special election for the Macon Water Authority District 1 seat during the November election.