Fannin County Commissioners set 2020 qualifying fees

FANNIN COUNTY, Ga – The board of commissioners approved the qualifying fees for the 2020 election year during the Jan. meeting.

The fees constitute three percent of the base annual salary for each office and qualifying will begin on Monday, March 2, 2020 at 9 a.m. The time ends at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2020.

Here’s a list of the offices and associated fees:

Chairman, Board of Commissioners – $1,794.86

Post One Commissioner – $180.00

Sheriff – $1,779.86

Tax Commissioner – $1,491.65

Clerk of Court – $1,491.65

Judge of Probate Court – $1,491.65

Chief Magistrate Judge – $1,491.65

Coroner – $694.08

Board of Education (3 seats) – $144.00

County Surveyor – $144.00

The general primary will be held on May 19, 2020 and the general election will take place on Nov. 3, 2020. This year the entire state of Georgia will be using new electronic voting machines that provide votes with a paper ballot to review. However, voters must turn that ballot in before leaving the polls or their vote will not count. The state is making great efforts to educate everyone on the new system to ensure no hiccups occur on election day.

From Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger press release:

Raffensperger has been traveling Georgia meeting with local officials and community groups talking about the statewide implementation of the new system in time for early voting in the March 24 Presidential Preference Primary. Replacing the state’s 17-year-old electronic voting machines with modern, secure touchscreen ballot-marking devices, printers, scanners and locked ballot boxes is the largest one-time transition of election systems in U.S. history.

The old equipment is being collected from counties, and deliveries to them are being made.

Specifications for the system came from a bipartisan commission made up of experts on voting, security and handicapped accessibility. Next, national companies submitted proposals matching those specifications which were evaluated by a multi-agency panel that selected Dominion Voting Systems’ bid. Then, an independent engineering firm tested and analyzed Dominion’s equipment to ensure it met the specifications, which included U.S. Election Assistance Commission guidelines for voting security.

vote will be private and will be counted – accurately,” Raffensperger said. “Look the system over, and you’ll agree.”