Letter to the Editor: Thanks those who assisted in making Charles City general election process a success

Charles City County General’s Registrar’s Office would like to thank Charles City Sheriff’s Office for all their help on Election Day. The department executed a stealthily, efficiently, and successful plan that made our staff, Officers of Elections, and our voters feel safe.

I’d like to thank our Officers of Elections for their outstanding job they did for the voters. Some of our officers worked in the general registrar’s office during the 45 days of early voting, pre-processing ballots flawlessly. I don’t think I have ever used the words “adventure and fun” to describe an election before. These officers are our last line of defense at the polls on Election Day. They are our “Guardians of Democracy.”

I’d like to send a big shout out to the Secretary of the Electoral Board Barbara E. Hayes, who headed up the team that pre-processed 470 absentee ballots in our drop-off box by the United States Postal Service. I’d like to also thank Elnora Robinson for her contributions in assisting voters, the vital role of Christine Shields, and Irene Churins and Glenda Greene who served as Party Chairs because they too provided a service to our voters, no matter what party you are affiliated with.

I cannot thank County Administrator Michelle John enough for her role in making sure voters came through the back doors, making sure the area was safe for voters during the pandemic. The voters let us know how much they appreciated the outfits.

Additional thanks go out to Michael Hill, caretaker of New Vine Baptist Church, who provided efforts for voters in District 1.

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge all the voters in the county for their participation in the election. Our turnout in those who voted by absentee ballot was 51 percent of all registered voters in the count. This election marked the first time that the centralized absentee precinct (CAP) voting machine advanced to four digits.

There are so many people that worked behind the scenes to help our county have successful elections, especially during the pandemic and we thank them for their efforts, including the New Kent-Charles City Chronicle and our team of Voting Systems Guardians.

It has been a pleasure to write this note of appreciation and to conduct elections in Charles City County.

Catrina Barneycastle and April Trull
General Registrar’s Office
Charles City County