A few members of the Henry County Board of Commissioners voiced concerns about the operations of the county’s Board of Elections and Registration during the discussion of an agenda item at the commissioners’ October 1 regular meeting.

  The election board is asking the county’s legislative delegation to introduce legislation that would change the term of its administrative director and also remove a current prohibition against the board taking any action without a member-at-large in place.

  A request for the commissioners to pass a resolution also asking the legislators for the same thing, in essence showing support for the election board’s request, recently failed with a 3-3 vote. Voting in favor were Gary Barham, June Wood and Johnny Wilson. Voting against were Dee Clemmons, Bruce Holmes and Vivian Thomas.

  The election board can move forward and make the request of the legislators without the commissioners’ support, according to county attorney Patrick Jaugstetter.

  Currently, the board has five members, two of whom are appointed by the county’s Democratic Party and two appointed by the county’s Republican Party. The fifth member is appointed by a committee formed by the Board of Commissioners. That is the at-large member.

  The legislation now in place prohibits the Board of Elections and Registration from taking any action whatsoever if there is a vacancy in the at-large seat. Theboard’s concern is that if the seat ever becomes vacant before another person is appointed, it could impede the board’s ability to act should an important matter arise, like a registration challenge or a special election.

  The board’s current administrative director is Tina Lunsford, the director of the county’s elections office, and her term runs for two years. It will expire at the same time as the terms of the four political appointees, which means not only the potential for a new director every two years, but a total change in five positions at one time. The elections board wants the director’s term changed to four years.

  After Jaugstetter’s presentation, some of the commissioners had more questions than answers.

  Clemmons pointed out that both boards should get together so that she and her fellow commissioners are better informed about various things going on with the elections board. She expressed concern about the recent multiple changes in voting precincts, saying that she was not against the changes themselves, but felt there should have been at least one year’s notice so that elderly voters and others who have difficulty getting to the polls can make the necessary arrangements.

  Thomas called the process of changing precincts “very concerning,” and specifically mentioned the possibility of longer lines stemming from small rooms containing fewer voting machines. She called the process used to select the polling places “inadequate, insufficient, and it definitely should be questioned.” Thomas also questioned why the election board is not broken down by district.

  Jaugstetter agreed that both boards should meet and, in response to a question from Wood about the timeline on legislative action, he said it would be impossible to predict once it reached the Capitol.