Thumbs down for Sunday voting at testy board meeting

After an at-times fiery debate over whether to allow Sunday voting in the November elections, the Bibb County Board of Elections on Thursday voted 3-2 against it.

The proceedings began with a prayer and grew increasingly contentious, divided along party lines.

Democratic appointees Steve Allen and Ronnie Miley voted for the proposal, while Republican appointees Rinda Wilson and Herb Spangler along with independent Barbara Clowers opposed it.

Before the discussion and subsequent vote, Allen acknowledged a crowd of reporters and a dozen or so politicians and residents on hand.

“We don’t normally have a lot of visitors at these meetings,” he said. “They’re usually pretty boring.”

Cue the bickering.

As the board weighed the matter, Wilson said the concept was only recently brought up here and would strain an already short-handed polling staff.

“Sunday voting is the last thing on our radar,” she said. “We have operational needs.”

“Excuse me,” said Miley, who backed the proposal. “It’s not the last thing on my radar.”

Wilson went on to say that the proposal was being “rushed through” and “looks real fishy that all of a sudden a few weeks before a close election ... we’ve got to have this.”

While Wilson and Spangler voiced their opposition, Miley interrupted.

“I guess we only have two board members,” Miley said. “Because only two board members seem to be having a conversation.”

“Go ahead,” Wilson said.

Miley complained that partisan politics were at play.

Allen cut the tension.

“Our mission is to facilitate voting. ... I personally think we should give it a try,” he said.

Miley picked up there, saying some board members were more interested in shooting down the proposal “and not have me talk.”

“Talk forever,” Wilson said, her remark met with silence. “Go ahead.”

“I don’t need your permission,” Miley said.

After a flurry of chatter, he went on, raising his voice at times to have his points heard over the verbal sniping.

“Everybody’s ranting and raving about the issues that the board is dealing with,” he said. “That has nothing to do with the question about Sunday voting. ... Yeah, we’ve got staffing problems. But we’re not talking about that today. We’re talking about Sunday voting.”

While a handful of other counties in Georgia have OK’d Sunday voting, in the end the Bibb board wasn’t ready to approve it.

After voting the measure down, Wilson told a reporter, “There’s a point in which convenience is becoming ridiculous, particularly when it involves the taxpayer money. We have early voting, we have Saturday voting, we have absentee voting. ... Some people work at night, sleep during the day. So maybe we should have midnight voting.”

Miley later said the meeting’s contentiousness was “unfortunate.”

“It was as spirited as it’s been since I’ve been on the board,” he said.

To contact writer Joe Kovac Jr., call 744-4397.

This story was originally published September 25, 2014 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Thumbs down for Sunday voting at testy board meeting ."