This story was originally published in the Smoky Mountain Times
Photo by Jessica Webb.
It was three weeks after Adam Byrnes graduated from Emory University that he became the director of the Board of Elections in Swain County.
“[The job] was daunting at first, but I don’t think because of my age,” Byrnes said. “But in a field like this you get experience quickly out of necessity as much as anything.”
Byrnes graduated in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in political science and government. This election will be his fourth since becoming director.
“I don’t think about my age too much at this point, but it is something people tend to notice.”
Having studied in Georgia, Byrnes knew he wanted to work in the Southeast while pursuing his interest in voting and nonpartisan efforts. While job searching he found the opening in Swain County and felt it was a perfect fit. After two interviews, the Board of Elections also thought it was a perfect fit and Byrnes had the job.
Byrnes’ passion began while in college working for the Emory Votes Initiative. The Emory Votes Initiative was a nonpartisan group that encouraged voting and civic engagement in the Emory community.
“The focus on voting was something that really drew me towards this field,” Byrnes said.
Byrnes also participated in the Scholars Strategy Network focused on Georgia election law and voting machine testing.
“I wanted to be involved in making sure people could vote,” Byrnes said. “Partisan politics doesn’t really appeal to me and I thought the background from the work I had done in college before I got here fit to have a job like this.”
As director, Byrnes wants to focus on procedure and transparency. He hopes to engage with voters and communicate how to register to vote and the voting process clearly to maintain trust in election security.
“I think every director’s goal is to make their office the best run in the state, so that’s mine as well,” Byrnes said.
The responsibilities of a Board of Elections director differs between small counties and large counties according to Byrnes.
“One thing we all have in common is we’re the public face of the department,” Byrnes said.
As the director of a small county, Byrnes manages campaign finance, ensuring registration matches mapping and poll worker training.
Director responsibilities also include contingency planning, communicating with the State Board of Elections, testing voting machines and overseeing voting during early voting and Election Day.
“It’s a broad role and sometimes there are things that come up that we don’t deal with all the time,” Byrnes said.
Despite the many responsibilities Byrnes tackles as director, his favorite part of the job is still what originally drew him to the position, helping people vote.
“Making sure people can vote is always rewarding even if they’re voter number 2,000,” Byrnes said. “When somebody comes in and they’re able to have a smooth process and get their ‘I voted’ sticker.”
