‘I don’t talk politics with anyone’: Georgia voting official on avoiding fiery debates ahead of midterms
Sabrina German, a poll official in Chatham county, details a typical election day, the pressure election workers face, and fallout from 2020 disputes It’s not that Sabrina German doesn’t have political views. But as the director of voter registration for Chatham county, Georgia, talking politics is like breakdancing in traffic. “I don’t talk politics with anyone,” says German; she knows better. America’s partisan…
Key points
- Sabrina German directs voter registration in Chatham county, Georgia, and avoids political talk.
- She leads Gavreo and defends election workers facing fraud accusations since 2020.
- German says election day runs from 7am to after 10pm and stresses documenting everything.
Sabrina German, director of voter registration for Chatham county, Georgia, avoids political discussions to protect her work overseeing elections. She has held elections roles in Savannah since October 1996 and became president of the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials last year.
German said she does not talk politics with anyone, walking out of rooms when such debates begin. Her approach aims to keep her office neutral as election deniers and activists in Georgia challenge officials.
Pressure on election workers
German said her life is built to avoid politics, from volunteer work to personal relationships. She described redirecting conversations to explain what her office does for voters rather than engaging in political disputes.
She cited Fulton county poll workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, who faced death threats after a viral video was used to falsely accuse them of fraud. Freeman and Moss won a $148m defamation judgment against Rudy Giuliani.
I don’t talk politics with anyone
— Sabrina German
Challenges and election day
Ahead of the 2024 election, voter Helen Strahl challenged over 1,000 Chatham county registrations and sent names of more than 20,000 others for list maintenance, requiring weeks of staff work. Strahl later said she had nothing against German and had stopped mass challenges.
German said election day starts at 7am and usually ends after 10pm, involving calls, absentee ballots and paperwork. She advises documenting everything, as challenges can arise months later.
