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Will Peebles|Savannah Morning News

Last week, long-time Chatham County Board of Elections worker Billy Wooten was named interim elections supervisor.

On Monday, hell officially take the reigns, less than two weeks after 16-year veteran Russell Bridges announced hed be retiring. Bridges' last day is Feb. 28.

Wooten, a North Carolina native, has served the Board of Elections in multiple capacities for a little over 20 years. Most recently, he served as the lead trainer for poll managers and workers and served as the manager for the hand audit of Georgias Presidential Election in 2020.

More: OPINION: Chatham election officials earn vote of confidence

When he started as a clerk at a polling place on Wilmington Island all those years ago, he hoped to better represent the diverse electorate of Chatham County. He says that goal hasnt changed.

They didn't look like Savannah. You know, they weren't inclusive. There weren't any men. There weren't any younger people there. There weren't any people of color, Wooten said. I thought, if people are working in something as important as the election, they should look like the electorate.

He found out in late December that Bridges had suggested he be the person to take over after he retired.

More: A new Chatham Elections Board member was sworn in last week. This week, she resigned.

I'm willing to do whatever I can do to ensure a peaceful transition and to help the board continue the process of having honest and accurate elections, Wooten said.

Wooten said with conversations about combining the BOE and the Chatham Board of Registrars currently welling up, his takeover as the interim supervisor is aptly timed.

There's always uncertainty when someone retires, and not only that, but the possibility that the elections and registration office would be combined, Wooten said. It just felt as if it was probably the best time to have an interim, and let some of that dust settle.

He has served five terms on the Coastal Workforce Board, and has served three terms as chairman of the board for First City Network, a non-profit LGBT organization in Savannah, and served as the first director of the Savannah LGBT Center.

Additionally, hes a 25-year member of the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and a founding member of the integrative medicine/music program developed in partnership with Memorial Health University Medical Center.

All in all, Wooten said, his goal is to keep the board running smoothly.

I hope we continue to improve, continue to follow the laws, follow the guidelines the state has put forth, to continue having honest, accurate and fair elections, with as few problems as possible, Wooten said. You know, there are a lot of moving parts, and it takes a lot of people to conduct elections. And luckily, we've got a real good team.

Will Peebles is the enterprise reporter for Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at wpeebles@gannett.com and @willpeeblessmn on Twitter.

See more here:
Chatham Interim Elections Supervisor Billy Wooten hopes to 'continue to improve' - Savannah Morning News

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