This Georgia Election Office Calls Itself the Chick-fil-A of Voting

In this episode of Keepers of Our Republic, former Georgia election official Tate Fall sits down with Rebecca Anglin, Director of Elections in Greene County, Georgia, to talk about what it really takes to run elections at the local level, and why her office proudly calls itself the “Chick-fil-A of voting.”

Rebecca shares her journey from teenage poll worker to county election director and reflects on more than two decades working in nearly every role in Georgia elections. The conversation explores voter education, transparency, poll worker recruitment, election audits, and why local election officials remain deeply committed to serving every voter, even during some of the most difficult years for election administration.

They also discuss the importance of civic participation, why local elections matter, and what voters can do to become more informed and engaged before heading to the polls.

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Welcome back to Keepers of our Republic, a new weekly podcast from Keep Our Republic that takes listeners inside the institutions at the heart of American democracy. Every week, Keepers of Our Republic features thoughtful conversations with election administrators and retired federal judges. We explore how elections are really run, discuss why an independent judiciary is essential to a strong republic, and separate fact from fiction in a fast-changing world. Learn more about Keep Our Republic, a nonpartisan nonprofit, at our website, https://keepourrepublic.org 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome back to Keepers of Our Republic, a weekly nonpartisan podcast talking to election officials and judges about defending the rule of law and free and fair elections, also known as How We Keep a Republic. I'm your host, Tate Fall. If this is your first time joining us, don't forget to hit the like and subscribe button and join us here every week on Thursdays for these conversations. Today I'm joined by an elections jack of all trades, Rebecca Englin. Rebecca is currently the director of elections in Green County, Georgia, and has served in nearly every election role at every level here in Georgia with over 20 years of experience. She also serves on several committees for the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials, also known as Gavrio, to help share her deep expertise. Thank you, Rebecca, for joining me today. Oh, thank you, Tate. I'm happy to be here. Awesome. Well, let's start off by telling our listeners a little bit about yourself, how you got into elections, and I'd also love for you to share the why you stay. Why do you keep showing up to work in everything that we've gone through here in Georgia?

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Sure. So I was 16 years old. I started out as a poll worker. Um I loved the um atmosphere. My mom had always been a poll worker. My grandfather was a poll worker. My daughter has since become a poll worker. Um, I say once it gets in your blood, it's there to stay. So from 16 forward, I think I have worked every single election in some capacity in the state of Georgia. Um, and I just love it. I love the people, I love checking in voters, I love the excitement around election time and the excitement that voters have to come out and cast their ballots. Um I say, you know, people fought and died for our right to vote. And so I think it's super important that people come out and exercise their right to vote. Um, and I just I love it.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

I love it. I totally agree. I think once you start, you can't stop. It's either elections is one of those things you either love it or you quit. There's no in between. And so it does, it gets in your blood. And I I love that. And I love that it's a family affair for y'all. And I think that that's so special.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:23

So tell our listeners a little bit about Green County, how many voters you have, number of precincts, staff members, anything unique about your county, just so we have an idea of what Green County is like.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Sure. So Green County is very unique. We're lake country. We have Lake Ocome, um, which is a booming area that people seem to be flocking to, retiring to. Um, everybody loves the lake and the atmosphere here. Um, we are very diverse. Um, Green County, you see things from extreme uber wealth to poverty. Um, so we have a really, really diverse county here. Um, our voter population is about 17,500, give or take. You know, you know how those numbers fluctuate a little bit. Um I'm super proud that we only have around 800 inactive voters here, which has changed a lot. Um, when I first started here, we were upwards of 2,500, and we have really gotten our voters educated. We put out all kinds of social media posts, newspaper ads, signs, letting people know, hey, it's time to vote. Um, so I really, really love that our voters are showing up to the polls and coming to vote. We have four um polling sites here in Green County on election day, and we have one advanced voting site, which is at my office, um, which I really, really love too, because we have such a great space here. Our county commission has been so wonderful to work with and has given us so many resources. Um, so we're able to get voters in and out effectively. Um, and I call us the Chick-fil-A of voting. I'm like, it's our pleasure, and we're happy that you came out to vote.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

I love it. Now, if you start serving Diet Coke with the good eyes, I'm sure your numbers would boom.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

I wish we could. I'm a Coke Zero girl.

SPEAKER_02 4:11

I love it. I love it. And I know we know what inactive voters are, but for our listeners who are listening and and remember that every state is different, right? What inactive means here is different in other states. But tell our listeners a little bit about what inactive voters are and why it is abnormal to have that low of a number for a county your size, especially a county where so many people are moving.

SPEAKER_01 4:32

Yes. So inactive voters are voters that have not voted for the last four years or reached out to our office in any capacity. So they have not updated their driver's license, they haven't made any contact at all with our office, um, or they haven't cast a ballot. So I I work really hard on trying to keep that number low because I'm like, if you're registered, you need to be voting. I have voted in every election since I was 18 years old, whether there was a question on the ballot or it's a presidential election. Um, I think it's so, so important for people to know the responsibility of voting.

SPEAKER_02 5:08

Absolutely. I love that. And I think that that's great to see because you do see, and it's not just one age group, it's all age groups of people who will vote maybe every presidential only, every sometimes every other presidential, you know. And so to see that you have such an active electorate, I think speaks to the work that y'all are doing in Green County. And it's amazing. Um, and so one thing I want to talk about too is your experience. So you've worked at the Secretary of State's office, you're at the county level, you've been a poll worker. And since most of our listeners are voters, they probably don't understand how those things are all so different. So can you explain to them kind of the differences in the levels of election administration and what that looked like for you?

SPEAKER_01 5:52

Sure. So when I started out as a poll worker, I started out as like a check-in clerk, meaning the voters and we had paper back then. Yes. Um, I'm giving away my age. Um, so we had a paper electors list that was in this huge binder, um, big stacks, and you would flip through, look up the voter, check them in, mark what ballot style they wanted if it was a primary. Um, the voter would sign and then they would move down the line. So I was kind of the first point of contact when a voter nowadays it I would be the poll where the knowing poll books are, I would be a check-in person because I'm a talker by nature, I'm a people person by nature. And so that was like my favorite job at a polling site. Yeah. Um, I went from that to managing an advanced voting site um in O'Conee County, which is the county that I live in. Um, loved that, loved being, I'm I'm also a leader by nature. And so I love the leadership role and I really found a niche for me. And I'm like, hey, I this is something that I'm really devoted to and interested in. Um in 2019, I started working um part-time at our elections office. I was hired on to learn the Dominion voting equipment and the no-ink poll books. Um, that was my baby. I was the keeper of that. I wanted to know everything about it and all the ins and outs and how this worked. And I wanted to be the best that I could be. Um, and so started out in that role, really enjoyed it, decided that I wanted to work full-time. So went full time. Um, the elections director in Oconee County was moving on to a different job in the election world with a vendor. And um, I applied for her position and I was hired on as the director and board chair. Very different role. Um, so then you start managing all the things and start reading the code book like it's a Bible and um learning all the ins and outs and state laws. And I was just like a sponge. I wanted to absorb it all. I was so into learning and um I'm like the only person in life you're in competition with is yourself. So you better be the best that you can be. Yes. Um, and really enjoyed that role. I enjoyed getting to know the people. I enjoyed getting to know people at the state. Um, when I was in O'Coney, I was invited by the Secretary of State's office to be part of an advisory board. And I went to my first meeting and I thought, okay, I'm gonna tell them everything that is wrong. Um how do we bridge the gap between the state and the counties? I went to that meeting and nobody was really speaking up. And I thought, it's your girl's time to shine. I'm just gonna tell them. Yes. So um started out the meeting and just kind of went through and told them, hey, this is what you need to be doing. This is how we mend the relationship. This is what we need to do after the rollout, this is how we better things. And before I got home that day, um, they had called and offered me a job. And I'm like, whoa, I don't think I wanted to be the one to fix it, but um Yeah, that's your job. I'm telling you what to do. Yes, exactly. And so um it was, it was a very, very tough decision for me to say the least, to leave the county and go to the Secretary of State. But I thought, you know what? If I can do a little bit of good and um help these counties out from a state level, that's what I want to do. So I was hired on to implement um Jarvis, our voter registration and information system. Um and when I say long days and hard, hard work, um, I've never been a part of a project that was that big and I probably never will in my lifetime. Um, it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. So once Jarvis got off the ground and we were in a good stable position, a few of my good friends knew that I wanted to be back countyside because um poll workers and election officials are my people. That is, that is where I thrive and that is what I love. Um and so the Green County election director was retiring and she called and said, why don't you come interview for this? I think you'd be a great fit for it. It's a neighboring county to where I live. Um so did a couple of interviews and came in toward the facility and fell in love here. And um, it's it's been history ever since.

SPEAKER_02 10:11

I love it. I love it. And it's so interesting because the every state is different, like we've said. And in Georgia, we have some things that are top-down, like our machines, like you mentioned. You were part of the team that helped roll out at the county level and helped learn about all the new equipment because we changed to poll pads and we were changing voting equipment. And so that was purchased at the state level, but then we're also a home role state. So there's a lot of things at the county level that are administering the elections, and then in some counties, the cities do their own elections. You know, I talked to Travis about that. Yes. In other counties, you know, they they don't. And then you have other states like where I came from in Virginia, where every county bought their own election equipment and the state had nothing to do with that process. And then you have states like Louisiana where the Secretary of State buys everything for them, they do all their LNA testing, they do all of these things. They do, they do, they buy their seals. I mean, they do everything for them. And so it's really interesting. I think it's important to remind our listeners to learn about your state specifically because it is so different. And if you hear something, you know, on the news, if it or on Facebook or wherever on TikTok, you know, to make sure, like, hey, is that actually how we do things here? Because it is so different. And I think you got such a great snapshot of those levels working, you know, and I I just love, I love that.

SPEAKER_01 11:36

Yes, I love that too. And it is so true. I I I preach voter education because it is so different. And like you said, when you're talking to people, they're like, oh, well, that's not how we do it in my state, or you know, and I tell people, you've got to find out how you do it in your state. Yeah, what you do in one place is not necessarily what we do here in Georgia, or what you do one county over doesn't necessarily work for my county because you've got a larger voter population, and I may have a smaller or a medium-sized county. So there's a lot of dynamics that come into play. It is. And if you don't like something or don't know something, I'm like, you need to be a poll worker. You will exactly right.

SPEAKER_02 12:15

You need to serve. Yes, yeah. And I think you see, and that's what I love. And when I was in Virginia, you know, we were a small office, there's only seven of us. So when the early voting workers went to lunch, I was the one that was checking voters in, even though I was the deputy director. That was my job, is to fill in when people needed it. And I loved it because you get, like you said, you get to see those voters and you get to celebrate first-time voters, you get to celebrate voters returning from, you know, military members returning from living overseas and voting in person for the first time in a decade. And and that I think is is one of the reasons why we love what we do is to see that, you know, and it's I always I always have, you know, this juxtaposition. I remember in Arlington, um, I had my best and my worst day was all in one day. And we were there, and I was working early voting, and we were implementing ranked choice voting for the first time. And we were the only county to do ranked choice voting in Virginia. We were the first. So we were totally on our own. I mean, we didn't have any resources. It was we created our own education, our own voter outreach. We did it all. And I someone came back to the office. I think the director must have been at a meeting because someone came and got me and said, There's a guy yelling in the voting lobby. I said, Okay. So I go out there, and this guy is very upset. He had spoiled like three ballots because he couldn't understand how to mark the ranked choice voting portion, and it kept getting rejected. And he got so angry, he was yelling at me, he told me he's been voting longer than I've been alive, and what it what could I tell him? And he ended up crumpling up his ballot and throwing it at me and walking out. And so, what did I do? I went to my office and cried like any normal person would. And I had my moment and I kind of gathered myself and then I went back out to check on the staff, and I was fixing the educational materials. We had them on a table outside the room with all their ranked choice voting instructions in different languages, and I was kind of tidying the stacks, and I see a a young gal and guy come out of the voting room and she's crying. And I was like, Oh my gosh, what did my poll worker say to her? Like, what did they say to make this girl cry? So I was like, Is everything okay? And he said, Oh, she's just so happy she just got her citizenship, and this is the first time she's ever voted. And I started crying again. But it was different tears. And it's at the end of the day, though, I serve both those voters the same way. I serve the guy who throws a ballot in our face the same way I serve a first-time voter, whether it's a new citizen or a fresh 18-year-old or whoever it is. And I think that's what I hope voters know is that that's why we show up, is for them. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:02

I had a voter last year who was 103, and her daughter brought her to vote, still getting around. I'm like, your goals, you are who I want to be when I um and I told it was one of my best days here. I'm like, can myself and my office staff please get a picture with you? Because I'm like 103 and still making it a priority. And her daughter was like, she wouldn't have it any other way. She did not want to vote absentee. She wanted to come in and vote. She wanted to be able to cast her ballot. And I'm like, it just means so much when you see voters like that. And those citizens, I love it when they come in with their naturalization papers and they're so excited to vote. And I'm like, that is the way that every single one of us should show up to vote. Like, thank you. This is my right. I am here, I am getting to cast my ballot. Um, I always go on a Saturday of early voting to cast my ballot and was able to do that this past Saturday with my grandmother for the first time. We've I've never taken her to vote. Um, but just those moments of hey, this is why we are showing up to do what we do.

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Yeah. Oh, I love that. What a beautiful story. Oh my gosh. Oh, I love that. So, speaking of all the amazing things you're doing in Green, um, I know we've talked about so many of the fun things that you have done there. And in your short time there, you've already won the Coveted Eagle Award, which is a statewide award. So tell our listeners about the work you've done in Green County and where you've seen kind of the biggest changes and improvements.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Sure. So um what I love here, I have changed a lot since coming here. I am a work smarter, not harder kind of person. So I think when people understand the why behind what they are doing, um, they they they work better for you. Um so pole worker training, pole worker education, um, really reducing down the amount of things and stuff we're sending out to precincts. Um, do we need to be sending all of this? Because I think a lot of times people's brains get overloaded and they're like, oh my gosh, they're in a panic when they see all these boxes arriving or all this material. And they're thinking, um, I can't do this, or I'm gonna mess this up, or um, I don't know what I'm doing here and the setup of things. Our poll workers set up our election day sites. They, they are the they are the brains and the operation. Well, I'm a little bit of the brains, um, but they they are the operation. They're my worker bees, they're getting the things done for me. Um, so really reducing down the amount of stuff that we were sending, making them more confident in what they were touching and doing, explaining why you are doing this, all of the checks and balances in place. This is what has to balance to this, that has to balance to this. Um, being very transparent with everything, encouraging poll watchers. Um, a lot of people are like, oh, you know, I don't want them here, or that annoys me. I'm like, bring them on. I want people seeing. I'm actually annoyed when people don't show up because I'm like, why are you not watching this?

SPEAKER_02 18:10

It's like throwing a party and no one shows up. You're like, I do want to do that.

SPEAKER_01 18:13

I've done all this work and I want you to see it. You know, so encouraging that transparency, encouraging people to show up and observe the process, watch what we're doing, see that there is nothing nefarious going on here. Um, another thing that I do in Green County, we do 100% audit of every single election. So I think that's really, really important with transparency, um picking a race to audit, making sure that that hand count matches your tabulated results. I have been conducting audits since 2020, so six years now. Um, most of those audits have been 100% audits and our results every single time match 100%. And so I'm very, very proud of the work that I've done here, the work that I didn't know. Coney did these same type of things. Um, and we're not seeing anything that does not match up. And so really, really proud of that. Um, and just overall proud of what we have here. I've changed things with the advanced voting group. Vendors, vendors have been wonderful. You see things at conferences that you're like, oh, we need that here. Oh, that would make something so much better or easier for our um electors that come in. And I think that's really, really important too. Staying on top of trends, staying on top of new equipment, staying on top of new things that are available to make that voting process easier in our county for those coming out.

SPEAKER_02 19:40

I love that. And I that's why I love going to conferences. Like you said, you come back and you learn from the presenters, of course, but you learn so much in the conversations you have over coffee break or at dinner, because of course we're crazy election people and we net we don't talk about anything else at dinner. You know, we're still talking about what we learned that day. And and that's how you learn new ideas and you can see, like, okay, well, they're a huge county, but how could we scale that to be, you know, something that could work for us or vice versa? And so I think it's so important to go and learn and it shows our voters that we care. You know, we're taking time away from our families to go to a conference to learn and grow and better our voters. And I I I love that.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Absolutely. And and one thing that I love doing is going and touring other counties' facilities. Yeah. Like it's amazing to see like large counties and how they operate and our metros and what they're doing and security and all the things, and saying, oh, that might work here. And then going to these smaller counties. I've been to counties that are every size all over the state of Georgia. Um, even seeing what they're doing and being like, oh, that's that's great, or I love that you did this. I love this sign you posted, I love the way you created this. I'm I'm taking that back and doing that. So networking is a huge, huge aspect of it.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

Absolutely. I totally agree. And it's a lot of fun too, just to have those conversations. Um, so as you said, you've been started off as a poll worker, indoctrinated at 16, and you've worked county, state, back to county. What advice would you give to anyone who might be thinking, you know, now people are actually choosing a job in elections? What advice would you give to people who are thinking about jumping into elections full-time? Do it.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

So um I I truly do, I do think that you have to be a people person to do this job. Um, I think it's really important because, like you said, you either love it or you hate it. You're either gonna stick with it and stay with it probably for life, or you're gonna get out when times get tough. Um, I say anybody who worked elections and made it through 2020, you're the real deal. You are the strong ones. You are you are the ones that are gonna make it in this world. Um I think it's really, really important for us to try to get a younger generation involved. Try to get these people who are getting political science degrees that want to say, you know, where does this play out? Um, what am I going to be doing for a career? To give us a try. Um, and I tell everybody, be a poll worker. That's the greatest example of how to help us and how to keep our democracy. Um, once they come in as a poll worker, I think it kind of does get in the blood and you say, okay, I really enjoy this. I really enjoy this aspect of it. Um, how do I make a career out of this? What is required of me? Um, and I'm like, you know, you don't have to have any type of degree to do this job because I'm like, the things that I know and have learned, they don't teach you in a classroom. You learn by fire in this world. Yeah. Um, and I think that's really, really important, just like we need our um HVAC people, just like we need electricians and plumbers and all the things. We can't all be doctors and lawyers. We need our election workers and our election officials. So I would say do it. Um when I started out as the director in Ocomey, I was not slated but to have maybe one election that year. And I had five. And I'm like, oh Lord, no better way than just throwing me in a frying. And push it by fire. Yep. But that was the best way for me to learn my job. And looking back, I'm so thankful that that happened to me. I'm like, I really got in there in the weeds, was putting in all the hours. Um, and and that's truly how I learned to be great at my job was just being tossed into it and hey, this is what you're doing.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

So I totally agree. I think I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more resilient group than election officials. I think, regardless of what's been thrown at them. I mean, you mentioned 2020 administering an election during COVID. You know, some states' elections were postponed, other states they weren't. Every state was so different and had different restrictions on what you could do and can't do. And it's just, it's it was sometimes thinking back to that, I'm like, whoa, we really lived through that. We really ran elections through that. That's so wild. And then you have every state different laws, different legislature coming out with new rules, you have Supreme Court rulings that could change everything, you know. And so I think they just, you know, election officials just roll with the punches. And it's because they don't they don't show up for that. They like we said, they show up for their voters, so they'll do whatever they gotta do to get the job done. And you're hard pressed to find that nowadays, I think.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Absolutely. It's some of the best people in the world to it.

SPEAKER_02 24:42

Yes. Okay, final question. Okay. We've talked so much about so many fun things, but what is the one thing you would like for voters to remember as we head into such a busy, tumultuous election year?

SPEAKER_01 24:57

Um, that showing up is of the greatest importance. And to not cast a ballot is to cast a ballot. Um, I'm like you you hear all the touches and the little quotes, and you know, if you don't vote, you really did vote. And um, because if you don't show up to make your voice heard, somebody else is showing up in your place. Um, and so I just think it is so, so important to get voters to the polls. Um, local elections matter just as much as a state election, matter just as much as a presidential election. I want your voice being heard for all of those elections. If you just have a splost on the ballot, you need to show up and vote for that because that's affecting your pocketbook. Um, if you are just voting for a commission race, show up for that. Those are the people that are making your hometown and your community what it is. Those are the people that are making the big choices for your county. Show up to vote for that. Um, this coming up this um May pres um the May primary, I'm like, this is so important. No matter what side of the fence you're on, no matter what political stance you take, which I hate politics, by the way. Um no matter what, I'm like, you are getting a brand new governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, brand new. There's no incumbents running. So I'm like, if you want to see true change, you better be showing up to vote. And then this fall, you know, was when they will really be elected. I call this election the narrowing down, um, the picking your faves. Um, so this fall, I'm like, people better show up. They better realize the importance of this election, but not only this election, every election, you're voting for something that is gonna make a difference.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

I love it. I could not have said it better myself. I think sometimes, especially here in Georgia, states where we have runoffs, people get so tired from voting. And, you know, this is a long ballot. We have a long ballot here in Georgia. A lot of states' primary ballots are long, but that's because there's a lot of really important stuff on there. And it is important to vote the whole ballot, do your research, show up prepared. Like, like you said, I mean, those those offices where you probably haven't seen ads on TV or you maybe haven't seen yard signs, those are the people that are gonna touch your lives the most, really. Absolutely. And so you got to show up, like you said.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

Well, and one of the things that you just hit on, voter responsibility. Um, I'm like, we can't, we can't take it all. There is voter responsibility. So um, to those voters listening to this podcast, I really encourage them. Like you said, when you come to vote, it should not be the first time you see a ballot. You need to be viewing sample ballots. Um, a lot of voters in Georgia don't know that you can print a sample ballot, mark it, take it into the booth with you. We um put all of our ballots in our local organ, local newspaper. Um, voters can mark those and bring them into the booth. I myself print a sample ballot and mark it and take it because it's so much on the ballot that you're not going to retain that. You're gonna be like, oh gosh, who was I trying to vote for? Um, you can't talk when you're in a voting booth. So you need to have those references. Can't use the cell phone, so you can't pull it out and look somebody up. Um, educate yourself. And we are a paper ballot state. So when you print that paper ballot, review, make sure you've marked who you wanted to mark. And at any point in the process, you change your mind, or you don't want to vote for that person, or you picked a wrong one, up until the point that you have scanned your ballot, you have the right to change your mind. So I just think it's so important to be an educated voter as well.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

I love it. I think that that's absolutely true. I think, you know, unless your county is giving you hundreds of thousands of dollars to do voter education, it is tough. And so we have to really rely on our voters to do that work. So thank you for sharing that and and making that clear. So thank you for joining me today. It has been so fun. I loved it. Thank you. So good. And thank you for sharing your insights with our listeners. And thank you to our listeners for tuning in. We will be back next week with another episode talking with more keepers of our republic.

SPEAKER_00 29:19

If you like this episode, please share it on social media and tell your friends. It's the best way for folks to find out about us. I hope you'll agree that our guest is indeed a keeper of the republic. If you want to learn more about how you can help keep our republic, stop on over to our website, keep ourrepublic.org.