DEKALB COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS  MEETING 11/7/24

Special Call Pre-Certification Meeting 

11/7/24  

4:45 pm 

1. ROLL CALL  

Karli Swift, Chair – present  

Vasu Abhiraman, Vice Chair – present 

Nancy Jester, Acting Chair – present  

Susan Motter – present  

Tony Lewis – present  

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 

Approved 5 – 0 

3. PUBLIC COMMENTS 

Liz Throop thanked BRE members and staI, noting addition of signage at previous Early  Voting places and bomb threat responses. 

4. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION 

A. Director’s Report  

Director Smith commended staI, county partners who helped process registrations, poll  workers, runners who transported CF cards from polling places, the Chief of Police, and the  BRE for their work on the general election.  

Smith then presented the unofficial reconciliation results by precinct per SEB Rule 183-1- 12 (12), in which ballots cast were compared to unique voter check-ins per Poll Pad counts.  BRE members reviewed handouts of the spreadsheet, which listed all precincts in which the number of ballots cast, and the number of check-ins were not the same. (Columns on  the spreadsheet were labeled Precinct / Ballots Cast / Unique Voter ID / Cast minus ID /  Method of Voting. Smith clarified that “Cast minus ID” shows the net discrepancy for a  given polling place.) 

Smith noted these were based on unofficial and incomplete tallies. These numbers were  broken down by voting method (ABM, AIP, or ED). She explained that voters whose  information did not appear on Poll Pads were added manually to the numbered list of  voters. The total errors for all precincts was 190. 

Smith mentioned staI’s evaluation of whether GARVIS results, ePulse results, and the  numbered list of voters all matched. StaI is still making sure all ballots cast were scanned or otherwise accounted for. She gave examples of why there were variations, such as an  Absentee by Mail voter returning ID but not a ballot. 

Jester requested a full report on reasons for variations be provided by the 11/12 meeting. Director Smith agrees and says they would produce such a document for the 30-day report to the SOS anyway. 

Chair Swift noted that this meeting was in fulfillment of the new Georgia legal requirement  to hold a pre-certification meeting prior to certification, but results are not final and hence  the board will not vote on what was presented.

Atty Momo clarified that the Board is required by SEB Rule 183-1-12 (12) to continue to  investigate these discrepancies, via the Elections Department. 

5. EXECUTIVE SESSION 

NA 

6. BOARD COMMENTS 

Swift and Jester thank Election staI and other county workers. 

7. ADJOURNMENT 

5 pm