The Hall County Elections Office was one of 14 award recipients at the recent annual conference of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Elections Officials.
The Phoenix Award was given in recognition of "dedicated service, devotion and commitment to elections and voters" to a county in each of two dozen regions in Georgia. Hall County is part of Region 2.
Hall County Elections Director Lori Wurtz expressed her gratitude to GAVREO for the honor.
"This award was made possible by the collective efforts of our staff, the Hall County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, and Hall County Administration who all together play a tremendously important role in serving the voters of Hall County," Wurtz said in a prepared statement.
Elections Board Chairman Dr. Tom Smiley also praised the elections office for overcoming great odds in an election year that was challenged not just by the COVID pandemic, but also by the state of Georgia's new elections equipment rollout and a cyberattack that struck Hall County in October 2020.
"It is very gratifying for Hall County Elections to win this award especially since it was bestowed by our peers in elections across the state," Smiley said. "Given all the extenuating circumstances that Director Wurtz, the Board of Elections and the elections staff worked under during the 2020 elections cycle, the entire Board of Elections is very appreciative of Director Wurtz and our elections staff.”
The GAVREO conference, which drew about 700 attendees, was held on Jekyll Island from Aug. 29 through Sept. 1. The Georgia event is one of the largest in the nation, according to the Secretary of State's Office.
