DeKalb Board unanimously certifies PSC District 3 Democratic runoff; turnout 4.76%

The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections unanimously certified the July 15 special primary runoff for Public Service Commission District 3 on July 17 after the elections director presented the county's unofficial election-summary report showing 24,210 ballots cast and an overall turnout of 4.76 percent.

Director Smith presented the results to the board and to the public, saying the county had 508,223 active registered voters at the time of the runoff. Ballots cast included 18,679 on election day, 5,347 during early voting, 172 absentee-by-mail ballots accepted and a small number of provisional ballots. Director Smith also reviewed the post-election canvass and reconciliation process that the department uses to verify voter records and tabulation before an audit.

In public comment before the certification vote, Janet Grant of Decatur urged the board to fulfill what she described as a nondiscretionary legal duty to certify runoff results. "This is not a discretionary act for members of boards of election in Georgia," Grant said, citing recent state court litigation over an emergency State Election Board rule on certification. Another commenter, Cheryl Dudley, urged the board to continue protecting voting rights and invoked the legacy of Rep. John Lewis while urging vigilance.

Registration Supervisor Holly Smith described the provisional-ballot review process in detail for the board. "Every single provisional ballot that is submitted to DeKalb County goes through a rigorous checklist...3 people actually review it to ensure that nothing was missed," she said, and explained that accepted provisional ballots are duplicated to the correct precinct where required, then posted to the county website and notified to voters by letter after the process is complete.

The department reported additional operational data: 147 physical polling locations were used (some precincts are co-located), the county deployed 294 voting pads, 759 touchscreens and 147 scanners for the runoff, and roughly 1,089 poll workers staffed the election. On absentees, staff said 173 ballots were received, 172 were accepted and one was rejected; staff described small numbers of provisional and cured ballots and noted that final reconciliation continues after certification.

After board members asked questions about provisional handling and costs, the board moved to both certify the results and recess briefly to sign the official returns. The motion was made and seconded (movers not specified in the record); the board voted "aye" unanimously and recessed to sign the returns. The board returned from recess and recorded the certification on the public minutes.

Board members used the post-certification comments to thank staff and poll workers for running a countywide runoff in mid-summer and to discuss election-administration topics. Several members said they support allowing greater flexibility for voters on election day ("vote centers") and expressed interest in discussing runoff reform at the state level; one member criticized the utility of the precertification meeting scheduled during the reconciliation period. No formal board action on vote-center policy or runoff law change was taken at the meeting.

The board also recognized an attorney newly assigned to the elections team and a visiting political science student. The board adjourned following final comments.