Ronnie Gantt, Ready For Election Day in Athens, Ga.

On Nov. 6, Athens Multimodal Transit Center will be both a transportation hub and a busy polling place during a hotly contested election year. Poll workers, voters and passengers will all converge there.

But Ronnie Gantt, the 59-year-old man who supervises the transit center, will take the day in stride.

He will start his shift at 5:30 a.m., work until 2:40 p.m., then turn the bus operation over to two other staff members.

“For me, the Election Day is just like any other day. I’m excited about what I’m going to do like each single day,” said Gantt.

Wearing a pair of glasses and a tidy blue uniform, Gantt smiles and holds doors for everyone. He has been working in the transit system of Athens-Clarke County for 15 years and supervising at the bus station for 12 years. His first Election Day experience was in 2008. There were no problems.

“Everything moves smoothly. Neither transit system or polling was interrupted,” he said.

Gantt is the kind of guy who likes coming to work everyday.  “I’m a people person. I enjoy people. Some people come to know me and some people I come to know them,” he said. His satisfaction comes from seeing buses run on schedule.

Gantt is trying to be positive about whatever he does, even though not every day is perfect. “I’m trying to miss no day,” he said. “I’m here every day, Monday to Friday.”

“What I’m going to do on Election Day is still my daily work, and people from the Board of Elections will work on the other side,” said Gantt. “We need to monitor the traffic outside and monitor people who are trying to come in and out. And we have to make sure that people can get on the bus without problems.

Precinct 4A voters cast ballots in the waiting room at the back side of the transit building, which has a door directly into the lot where some voters will park while voting. Others ride the bus.

“The voting area is guarded by security ropes and passengers are still able to use the vending machines and restrooms,” said Gantt, “If the Board of Elections needs some space I’ll make sure this place is secure for them.”

Poll workers will bring equipment to the transit center on Nov. 5 and set up before the poll opens at 7 a.m. next Tuesday. “The poll workers do all their jobs and I’ll show them what area they can use,” said Gantt.

For some voters, this will be their first visit to the transit center. Gantt hopes they’ll see how nice the facility is.

“I hope we could all get our jobs done because that day may be a little different from other days. But I have no pressures,” he said.