FAIRBURN, Ga. — For the first time, Fulton County Elections officials unveiled their new 600,000-square-foot elections hub on Thursday.
The Fairburn facility off Campbellton-Fairburn Road is now open to the public as officials prepare for another likely contentious election cycle in 2024.
The building will accommodate the hundreds of poll workers needed on election night, as well as house top-of-the-line equipment to ensure the election process goes as smoothly as possible. Interim Elections Director Nadine Williams said the new facility was needed in order to streamline their processes.
"We had two warehouses, a downtown office and now all those things are under one roof," Williams said.
Following years of scrutiny regarding Georgia's elections, leaders say the new hub will make processes even more efficient and transparent.
With political forecasters predicting that the 2024 election will likely be decided by a few key states, including Georgia, officials don't expect that scrutiny to end anytime soon.
“We’re hoping elections will be boring one day. But at this rate, I think we’re still going to have a lot of eyes on us," said Williams.
The hub will also house a training center for poll workers, as well as an area for testing and programming voting machines. The county's lease on the building will run for 15 years, with the option of ultimately purchasing it.