Its the ability to make sure, as we implement Georgia law, we follow it consistently. By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism. As a reminder, ballots must be dropped off at a drop box by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan 5, 2021, in order to be counted. Proposal comes two years after GOP-driven election law overhaul, Sign up for the Herald's free e-newsletter. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The state Senate bill, which was rewritten Monday, would make it easier to challenge the eligibility of voters, require county officials to record video of every ballot ATLANTA -- Georgia Republicans are considering a new wave of election legislation that could make it easier for residency challenges to knock thousands of people from the voter rolls and ban ballot drop boxes, again catering to those who still deny President Joe Bidens 2020 victory, two years after a GOP-driven election law overhaul in the politically competitive state was signed amid widespread outcry. The data shows that 56% of absentee ballots in Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties were returned in drop boxes, compared with 32% in the 11 smaller counties. Next Steps Verify that your ballot was accepted by visiting the Georgia My Voter Page. For more information, visit DeKalbVotes.com or call 404-298-4020 or 1-866-DEK-VOTES. Meet at the Nature Center: 3787 Klondike Rd, Stonecrest, GA | 770-484-3060, 2019 DeKalb County. Pursuing grant funding to supplement operating budgets is a standard and ethical practice for county governments across this state, DeKalb County Board of Registrations and Elections member Karli Swift told the committee Monday. It is the largest audited African American community newspaper in Georgia. However, the county commission and not the election office accepted the money, and some have said it is legal for elected county commissioners to take grants. Remember, voters will need ID for voting in-person or via absentee ballot! said Smith. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. It would build on the Georgias 2021 election law, enacted over bitter opposition, which said every voter in the state could submit an unlimited number of challenges of voter eligibility, shortened the period to request an absentee ballot, and shortened the early voting period before a runoff election. Could democrats take control of the Georgia state legislature? Registered voters in DeKalb County will be able to cast their absentee ballots in the Jan 5. runoff at drop box locations throughout the county. A second measure would make it a felony for county officials to accept money beyond their own tax revenue, except from the state or federal government, to run elections. Our expanded drop box locations for the general election provides DeKalb County voters with additional options to cast their ballots safely this year, Hamilton said. A second measure would make it a felony for county officials to accept money beyond their own tax revenue, except from the state or federal government, to run elections. Recently, suburban Atlantas DeKalb County accepted $2 million from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence to seek improvements and share best practices. Georgia first used drop boxes under an emergency rule during the pandemic in 2020. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. All drop boxes are under 24-hour surveillance and ballots are securely collected at least once a day. Canton: Construction on Hwy 20/eb/wb near I-575 has lanes closed. The Georgia Sun WebBy JEFF AMY, AP. Roswell, GA 30077 Subscribe to 95.5 WSB newsletter(Opens a new window), 95.5 WSB facebook feed(Opens a new window), 95.5 WSB twitter feed(Opens a new window), 95.5 WSB instagram feed(Opens a new window), Hickory Flat Highway/140 at E. Cherokee Drive. Residency fights could snare many Georgia voters under bill. Sign up for weekly newsletters and get the best of The Atlanta Voice in your inbox. But Republican activists besieged lawmakers in 2021 with claims that Democrats illegally collected and dropped off ballots at unattended outdoor boxes. DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. DeKalb County election officials have added absentee ballot drop box locations for voters. The drop box at the King County Administration Building has been permanently moved to 2nd Avenue S between S Jackson Street and S Registered voters in DeKalb County will be able to cast their absentee ballots in the Jan 5. runoff at drop box locations throughout the county. "The high ranking of employees of DeKalb County and its Democrat Party-appointed chairwoman of its board of elections have conspired to intentionally violate the Election Integrity Act of 2021," DeKalb County Republican Party Chairwoman Marci McCarthy told the committee Monday. But Burns said that he wants counties to require a hearing and possibly remove someone from the rolls based on the lists. During the advance voting period, registered voters can vote at any of the DeKalb County advance voting locations. Not all voting locations have drop boxes and they are now located inside of the designated Advance Voting Location. A pending lawsuit in federal court alleges that sweeping voter challenges amounted to voter intimidation by True the Vote, a conservative organization that promotes unproven claims of election fraud. But the legislation advanced Tuesday on a 5-3 vote by the Senate Ethics Committee. Recently, suburban Atlanta's DeKalb County accepted $2 million from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence to seek improvements and share best practices. The most important thing is to ensure that everyone on our voter rolls is a legitimate, legal voter, Burns said. Theres a motion on the table to allow secure (bolted to the ground and video surveillance)ballot drop boxes at Mountain Park Aquatic Center, Dacula Activity Building at Dacula Park, Shorty Howell Park, headquarters, Rhodes Jordan Park- activity building, Lucky Shoals Park, Lenora Park, George Pierce Park (Suwanee) and Bogan Park in Duluth. There are a lot of counties who are interpreting the law differently.". Georgia Republicans are considering a new wave of election legislation that could make it easier for residency challenges to knock thousands of people from the voter rolls and would ban ballot drop boxes. It would build on the Georgias 2021 election law, enacted over bitter opposition, which said every voter in the state could submit an unlimited number of challenges of voter eligibility, shortened the period to request an absentee ballot, and shortened the early voting period before a runoff election. Food and Drink Supply are limited. County officials have been rejecting most of those challenges, saying that residence, for voting purposes, is more complicated than appearing on a change-of-address list. Your absentee ballot if you are wanting to vote in-person instead. Its the ability to make sure, as we implement Georgia law, we follow it consistently. The measure has a long way to go before becoming law, and Tuesdays improvised changes are likely to draw further opposition. Elections officials in DeKalb say they are seeing a record number of voters this election. But opponents say the list is inaccurate and that the state shouldnt shift the burden of staying on the rolls back onto voters. Delays. But this years proposal could make it possible for activists who have been challenging tens of thousands of registrations across Georgia to knock those voters off the rolls based only on their names appearing on the address change database maintained by the U.S. The bill would also say that people must feed absentee ballots into a drop box one at a time. Learn More{{/message}}, Advance Voting Locations Available October 17 November 4, Berean Christian Church2201 Young RoadStone Mountain, Ga 30088, Dekalb Voter Registration & Elections Office**4380 Memorial Drive Ste. Similar to the general election, were anticipating a record number of voters will again use absentee ballots in the upcoming runoff, and our drop boxes, located across the county, offer a safe and secure way to cast a ballot, said Erica Hamilton, director of DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections. The measure has a long way to go before becoming law, and Tuesday's improvised changes are likely to draw further opposition. "Election deniers will never be satisfied," Kristen Nabers, the Georgia director of voting rights group, All Voting is Local, told the state Senate Ethics Committee on Thursday. Purpose. Our drop box locations provide DeKalb County voters with an additional option to cast their ballots for the runoff, said Hamilton. 300 Decatur, Ga 30032 Bessie Branham Recreation Center 2051 Delano Drive Ne Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. After originally proposing to require counties to record video of every drop box, the Ethics Committee decided on the fly during its Tuesday meeting to ban drop boxes statewide, striking out a method of voting that opponents have claimed, without evidence, allowed a massive fraud that stole the 2020 election from Trump. The bill had originally proposed that all of Georgia's 159 counties to record video of every drop box, including making sure the faces of each person using the drop box are visible," and make that video freely available online, retaining it for at least four years. PO Box 95 Remember for your ballot to count, make sure its in the drop box by 7p.m. Real Times Media. Chair, water, and snacksif the location has a long wait line. The county now has 26 absentee drop boxes spread out all throughout the county. Senate Bill 221, which the Georgia Senate Ethics Committee advanced Tuesday by a 5-3 vote, would: Mark Niesse covers voting rights and elections for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Join the Family. Texas Gov. DeKalb County, GA Early voting locations and hours for the May 24 primary election, drop box locations and changes to polling places across the county However, the county commission and not the election office accepted the money, and some have said it is still legal for elected county commissioners to take such grants. Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois The most important thing is to ensure that everyone on our voter rolls is a legitimate, legal voter," Burns said. There are a lot of counties who are interpreting the law differently.. The conspiracy theorists are going to dig up their names from the change of address registries and theyre going to try to disenfranchise them.. All rights reserved. The most important thing to note today about your absentee ballot: It must be in one of the drop boxes before 7 p.m. Heres the full list of absentee drop box locations in Dekalb County. Founded in 1966 by the late Ed Clayton and the late J. Lowell Ware, The Atlanta Voice has evolved and redefined its efforts to better connect with the community it serves. It's an amplification of a provision from the 2021 law that made it illegal for elections officials to accept outside money, after Republicans grew alarmed that Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated more than $400 million to election officials nationwide. Follow Jeff Amy on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jeffamy. Postal Service. But Republican activists besieged lawmakers in 2021 with claims that Democrats illegally collected and dropped off ballots at unattended outdoor boxes. The Senate Ethics Committee also passed a separate bill on Monday that would ban county governments from accepting outside funding to help defray elections costs, a reaction to millions of dollars donated by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg since 2020. The measure also strikes at another target of election deniers ballot drop boxes. DeKalb Announces Expanded Drop Box Locations for Jan. 5 Runoff Tap on any of the buttons below to download our app. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Our drop box locations provide DeKalb County voters with an additional option to cast their ballots for the runoff, said Hamilton. Registered voters in DeKalb County will be able to cast their absentee ballots in the Jan 5. runoff at drop box locations throughout the county. Delays. Registered voters in DeKalb County will be able to cast their absentee ballots in the general election at drop box locations throughout the county. Our drop box locations provide DeKalb During that election, drop boxes were open 24/7 and could be located anywhere on government property. If theyre smart enough to go to college, theyre smart enough to make a phone call to the elections office when they relocate, Williams said. Recently, suburban Atlantas DeKalb County accepted $2 million from the U.S. Alliance for Election Excellence to seek improvements and share best practices. Videos of drop boxes, including some where voters inserted multiple ballots, were a centerpiece of election conspiracy theories, including a movie called "2000 Mules" that suggested Democratic-aligned operatives were supposedly paid to illegally collect and drop off ballots. The conspiracy theorists are going to dig up their names from the change of address registries and theyre going to try to disenfranchise them.. WebATLANTA (AP) Georgia Republicans are considering a new wave of election legislation that could, in part, make it easier for residency challenges to knock thousands of people by WorldTribune Staff, August 30, 2021 Georgia election officials certified 43,907 absentee ballots from DeKalb County in the 2020 election despite the ballots being in violation of state chain of custody requirements, a report said., which obtained 725 DeKalb County ballot drop box transfer forms via an open records request, reported on 300Decatur, Ga 30032, Bessie Branham Recreation Center2051 Delano Drive NeAtlanta, Ga 30317, North Dekalb Senior Center3393 Malone DrChamblee, Ga 30341. Theyre just going to keep pushing to perpetuate conspiracy theories in the name of greater transparency.. But opponents say the list is inaccurate and that the state shouldn't shift the burden of staying on the rolls back onto voters. 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