Cherokee Commissioners uphold equal partisan split on board of elections

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Cherokee county Commissioners chose to uphold an equal partisan split on the Board of Elections at a crowded meeting.

Credit: Sarah Kallis/GPB News

Cherokee County Commissioners chose to uphold the equal partisan split on the local elections board despite pushback from Republicans. 

County Commissioners in the majority Republican county chose to appoint one Democrat and one Republican to the board of elections, continuing an equal split between the parties. 

Republican activists in Cherokee county had advocated for the Democrat’s seat to be given to a Republican candidate, leaving three Republicans and one Democrat on the board of elections. 

Several voting rights groups and the Cherokee Democrats pushed back in the proposal to alter the equal split.

Commissioner Richard Weatherby opposed the current split, and said that the political balance within the county should be represented on the board.

“I believe we made a we made a big mistake regarding representation on the Board of Elections," he said. "Statistics prove out their prospects, 75% of the votes cast in the last two elections have been Republican ballots."

Commissioners re-appointed Larry Hand for the Republican seat and appointed Scott Little to fill the Democrats' seat. However, local Democratic Party Chair Nate Rich said Little is not known or active in the local Democratic party.

"I'm optimistic," Rich said. "And I look forward to having a chance to sit down, talk with him. But, it's a big unknown force at this point."

There is no statewide mandate that county elections boards must have an equal split between both political parties, but several counties in metro Atlanta follow that split. Terms on the Cherokee Board of Elections last two years and are appointed by county commissioners on a staggered schedule.