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Dekalb County Board of Elections meeting 11/15/22

MEMBERS PRESENT:

Dele Lowman Smith (Chair)

Nancy Jester

Susan Motter 

Karli Swift 

NOT PRESENT

Anthony Lewis 

Called to order 12:15 by Lowman Smith

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes for 10/10/22, 10/13/22, 10/21/22, and 11/07/22 all approved unanimously

PUBLIC COMMENT

Liz Throop – Hold Sunday voting hours, allow ballot clerks to collect absentee ballots at Early

Voting sites

Judy Sophionopolis – Thanks and good job.

Madeleine Soloway – Father did not receive Absentee Ballot after 11 days. He could resolve it,

but the shortened timeline for the Runoff would have made that impossible. Wants Saturday

and Sunday voting for sake of college students

Anjali Kulkarni – Wants early voting. She teaches so understands the difficulties of college

students and wants Early Voting on college campuses.

Public commenter – Wants Saturday and Sunday voting particularly to help students and hopes there will be Early Voting before the holiday

Jane Milam, Republican candidate. On behalf of DeKalb GOP would like to know more about

the processing time for checking in voters, and the tabulation processing and procedures. Will

have recommendations soon based on her poll watchers’ observations.

Deborah Baker – Did poll watching for several days and suggests giving poll workers days off

and shorter shifts. Would like to retrofit the scanner/tabulators to keep ballots more organized.

BethAnn Frillman – suggests reducing the number of Ballot Marking devices and increasing Poll Pads. Asks for Early Voting before Thanksgiving so college students can vote, especially because it takes too long for their Absentee Ballots to arrive. Wonders about the point of origin for the Absentees and how that affects mail delivery times.

Saira Draper, State Representative – Suggests more early voting locations in Lithonia, Stonecrest, and Toco Hills. Says that way, no one in DeKalb would live more than 5 miles from

an Early Voting location.

4A. CERTIFICATION OF NOV 8 GENERAL ELECTION

NANCY JESTER – Staff recommends certification

SUSAN MOTTER says everyone did a great job

The vote is unanimous for certification

.

EARLY VOTING TIMES AND LOCATIONS:

Director K. Smith: LAT can’t start until 5 days after being printed in Legal organ. If it’s OK for the LAT notice to just appear in their online edition, they can have voting at Memorial Drive location on November 22 or 23rd. Otherwise voting can’t start until Saturday Nov 26 (if that is allowed pending lawsuit) or Sunday Nov 27.

Karli Swift proposes adding more Early Voting sites including

Salem-Panola Library,

Ousley UMC,

New Bethel AME

Mack Love Center/Central DeKalb Senior Center 1340 McConnell Drive

If they are available and deemed suitable.

A lengthy discussion about legal requirements regarding advertising of LAT in print or online and

what this implies for the start of voting. Noted that current state rules and laws are antiquated due

to conversion to digital communication. The current plan is to begin LAT on Thursday 11/17 pending ability of legal organ to advertise promptly.

A lengthy discussion about whether voting on Saturday 11/26 is legal, and how to decide what to

do (pending lawsuit against the state) if they are, in fact, allowed to vote that day.

Vote to hold Early Voting on Saturday, November 26 pending the outcome of a state lawsuit. (Passes 3– 1 with Jester voting against)

Vote to hold Early Voting Sunday Nov 27, 7am – 7pm (subject to availability of staff or else

fewer hours as staffing permits) at all 16 locations that were used in the General. (Passes 4- 0)

Vote to hold Early Voting on Wednesday, Nov 23 at both Memorial Drive sites and Monday,

Nov 28 – Friday, Dec 2 at the 16 previous locations:

Dunwoody Library

North DeKalb Senior Center

Briarwood

Emory

Besse Branham

South DeKalb Mall

Beulah

Tucker Library

Clarkston Library

Memorial (two locations)

Former Sam’s Club at Stonecrest

Wesley Chapel Library

Ellenwood Library

Wade Walker Park

Berean

PLUS, pending viability:

Salem Panola Library

Ousley United Methodist Church

New Bethel AME

Mack Love Senior Center

Smokerise Elementary School

Tucker City Hall

Lynwood Community Center

Perimeter Center, Chamblee

Forest Fleming Arena in Honeysuckle Park.

(Passes 4 – 0)

DUNWOODY (DF) ELECTION DAY POLLING PLACE

Church at Chapel Hill Dunwoody has declined to be an Election Day polling place for the runoff,

so voters will vote at Dunwoody Library. It will be configured as a co-located polling place. After

the runoff Chapel Hill and Dunwoody Library voters will be collapsed into a single precinct and

all will vote on the same machines.

Affected voters will be sent notices about the changed location.

(Passes 4-0)

COMMENTS FROM BOARD

Board members thank poll workers, lawyers, and volunteers. Swift reiterates there should be

early voting sites near all voters.

ADJOURN about 2pm

*These meeting notes were prepared by a volunteer

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