The Oconee County Board of Elections and Registration will have at least one new member when it meets in January.
The terms of Doug Hammond and Shami Jones expire at the end of the year, and Hammond, in a letter he sent to fellow board members, said he will not seek reappointment to the Board when his term ends.
The Oconee County Board of Commissioners is seeking applications for the two positions on the Board of Elections and Registration, as well as for one opening on the Oconee County Board of Health, two openings on the Farmland Preservation and Ranking Committee, and two openings on the Keep Oconee County Beautiful Commission.
Jones said in an email on Thursday that she had applied for reappointment to the five-person Elections Board. The deadline for applications is noon today (Nov. 14). Appointments likely will be announced on Dec. 2.
Hammond said his involvement in Oconee County Elections began when he was only 16 years old and “It is time for me to step aside and allow a new member to continue this important work with a fresh perspective.”
The terms of Board Chair Jay Hanley and Democratic Party nominee Ken Davis and Republican Party nominee Kirk Shook expire next year. Terms are for four years.
Hammond’s Letter
“Over the past five decades, I have witnessed remarkable changes in our election process,” Hammond wrote, “from counting paper ballots by hand, sometimes for days, to today’s efficient voting machines; from small community precincts to our current centralized voting locations.”
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| Hammond And Shook Election Board Meeting 11/7/2025 |
“I also have seen the leadership and structure of our elections evolve,” he continued, “from the days when county elections were administered by the Oconee Probate Judge, who happened to be my mother, to the tenure of our first elections director, Ms. Pat Hayes.”
Hammond is the son of the late Reba Kinney Hammond, who served as Oconee County Probate Judge for 29 years.
“The Elections Office has grown and relocated several times–from the Courthouse and Annex, to the former health department, and now to our excellent facility in the Oconee County Administrative Building,” he wrote.
“It has been my privilege to serve on the Election Board under Directors Ms. Pat Hayes, Mrs. Fran Leathers Crowell, Mrs. Rebecca Powers Anglin, and Mrs. Sharon Gregg,” Hammond wrote.
“The progress and professionalism that I have witnessed during this time have been truly inspiring,” he said.
“I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve and to continue my family’s legacy to public service in Oconee County,” he wrote. “I look forward to watching the continued growth and success of our elections and our community, which I am proud to call home.”
Hammond’s son, Adam Hammond, was elected to the Oconee County Board of Education a year ago.
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