Anderson Voter Registration Office Stellar Example of Public Service

By Greg Wilson/Publisher, Anderson Observer

It has been almost a month now, but it's never too late to express gratitude.

No matter how you voted in early November, the folks at the Anderson County Department of Voter Registration and Elections deserve praise as shining examples of public service at its best during the entire process.

The department moved into a new facility on North Main Street earlier this year, one so much more inviting and customer friendly than the old hallways of the former Bailes building. But it is the people behind the counters and in the offices at Voter Registration and Elections that Anderson County can be especially proud of this year.

During the managing of the long lines of absentee voters who stretched around the block downtown for weeks leading right through the big election day itself, the employees of Voter Registration and Elections were polite, professional and prepared.

From helping the elderly, disabled or others who needed a little help - such as providing chairs for them in the long lines - to the smiles and cheerful attitudes that marked every interaction I witnessed this year, this group went far beyond the call of duty in their work.

It’s important to remember these are our friends and neighbors, working long hours under a mound of regulations and restrictions, behind the process that protects this sacred responsibility of Democracy.

And they proved themselves in stellar fashion.

But their work is never done. New elections are coming and they are in preparation mode again. But now would be a good time to stop by the office and offer thanks for their dedication and hard work. A dozen doughnuts from Krispy Kreme would make the thank you all the sweeter.

The holidays are a good excuse to be generous with our gratitude toward those doing something well and in the process making Anderson County a better place to work, live and vote.

So thank you to all the hard-working employees who made this crazy election year a little easier to manage.