Citizen photo/GlennHarbison: Fannin County Election Supervisor Mary Ann Conner holds one of the many historical items discovered during the elections office move.

 By: Glenn Harbison  | glenn@fanninbasincitizen.com 

Years of needing more space has finally happened for the Fannin County Board of Elections. 

The board’s office is now located on the first floor of the Fannin County Courthouse in the area formerly occupied by the Fannin County Public Library. 

Elections Supervisor Mary Ann Conner showed off the new area last week. 

She said one of the first comments she heard was, “How did you get all this stuff into that office upstairs?” That referred to the third floor courthouse space the board had occupied since the new courthouse was built. “We managed, somehow,” she said. 

One advantage of the new location will be for early voting. It will allow for an efficient flow of voters and eliminate unnecessary waits when several voters show up at the same time.

The location on the first floor is also much more accessible for voters in wheelchairs or using a walker, Conner said.

The move also allows for the display of several historical items associated with the election board’s work, as well as some new editions.

For example, stamps used to designate from which precinct a ballot originated are displayed on a shelf.

A painting that hung in David Ralston’s Speaker of the House office in the state capitol hangs over a waiting area.

Last week, Conner and Marie Hancock were still moving into their new quarters.

All the boxes, some holding items stored for more than a decade, had not been unpacked. But, one at a time, Conner and Hancock agreed the task was being accomplished.

Still to come are also room dividers to separate the work area from storage.