3 Gwinnett Park Buildings Closed To Early Voting: Coronavirus

DACULA, GA — Because there’s not enough room for social distancing, the Dacula Park Activity Building won’t be used for early voting in the June 9 election, effectively making it harder to cast ballots in the upcoming primary.

That building is one of three — the other two being at Mountain Park and Shorty Howell Park — that will be closed to early voting, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In addition, Gwinnett County Elections Supervisor Kristi Royston told the paper that it’s still unclear how many poll workers are willing to work under coronavirus restrictions. “The number not interested in working is going to continue to grow,” she said.

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Gwinnett County’s elections board is considering using Rhodes Jordan Park Community Center in Lawrenceville to accommodate early voting. The Gwinnett County Fairgrounds previously had been considered, but its buildings already were booked during the time early voting would take place.

The delayed elections and a scramble for available buildings could have a domino effect, getting in the way of activities like summer camps that already were scheduled to use park buildings.

With all of these challenges, Royston said, she was considering reducing early-voting sites to the state required minimum, three weeks at one location.

Yet interest in early voting remains high. Royston said she’d had to hire five temporary works to handle the 58,000 absentee-ballot applications received through Monday.

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