(Lawrenceville, Ga., Feb. 14, 2020) – Gwinnett County leaders and elections officials recently formally dedicated the renovated Voter Registrations and Elections office in Lawrenceville, naming it after longtime Voter Registrations and Elections Board Member Beauty P. Baldwin.

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Charlotte Nash recognized Baldwin’s extensive contributions to education in Gwinnett. Among her accomplishments, Baldwin was one of the first black teachers at Central Gwinnett High School when she was hired in the 1970s and later served as the state’s first black female school superintendent when she was named Buford City Schools superintendent in 1984. She also helped found Hopewell Christian Academy and the North Metro Academy of Performing Arts, a Gwinnett County charter school.

But Nash said it was Baldwin’s contributions to elections that led the County to name the elections building after her.

“Since joining the board in 1997, Beauty has served multiple terms as chairman, vice chairman and member,” Nash said. “Beauty is known for her dedication to democracy and respected for her knowledge about the democratic process. She has helped bring about improvements in the voting process to make it easier for people to register and to vote.”

Beauty P. Baldwin shared what led her to join the Board of Voter Registrations and Elections and mentioned her drive to inspire young women.

“When I was asked to be on the Elections board, I thought to myself ‘this will be a great way to serve my community,’” Baldwin said. “These 23 years on the board have been so rewarding and I’m grateful to have been given this opportunity. I hope that young girls who think they can’t make a difference know that they can inspire positive change just by having a willingness to serve.”

The $1.08 million renovation project includes a registration area, a queue and poll worker area and a voting area. A new processing room doubles as a multi-purpose room that can be closed off by glass partitions. The renovation also includes a designated area for media to stage equipment.

The renovation and improved ingress and egress will improve the efficiency of the voting process and improve the overall flow of voters through the space.

Photos from the event can be found on the County’s Flickr page.