Residents and poll workers press DeKalb elections board on alleged voter‑roll inaccuracies

At its May 8 meeting, the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections heard several public commenters urge the board to address alleged inaccuracies in the county’s voter rolls, including claims that deceased people remained listed for years.

The comments, made during the meeting’s public-comment period, came from longtime poll workers and residents who said they had submitted evidence of ineligible registrations and received little explanation when those challenges were denied. The speakers asked the board to be transparent about how and when the voter roll is updated and whether citizen-filed challenges were reviewed fully.

Elizabeth Shackleford, a poll worker, thanked the board and the department for their “patient, careful, deliberative work” and said she wants greater access to voting rather than the spread of conspiracy claims about the rolls. Cheryl Dudley, a DeKalb resident, told the board that “voting is a right, not a privilege,” and warned that aggressive or baseless challenges can suppress turnout among seniors, students and communities of color.

Gail Lee, a DeKalb resident, said she withdrew two prior challenges but that a list of 91 deceased electors she had identified disappeared from the voter roll in February. Lee said those electors had dates of death ranging from 2015 to 2023 and asked why they remained on the roll for years and were removed only three months after the general election.

Bill Henderson, a citizen who said he filed a group of challenges under OCGA §21-2-229, said he presented what he called “incontrovertible evidence” that registrations he challenged were illegal under Georgia law and that the board offered no explanation for denying those challenges. Henderson asked the board and Executive Director Keisha Smith for an explanation of the votes to deny the challenges.

Other poll workers and residents echoed concerns about the handling of returned mail and inactive registrations, and asked the board to explain how the department reconciles returned mail, vital-records death reports and national data sources such as ERIC (Electronic Registration Information Center).

The board did not take any immediate formal action on the citizen challenges during the meeting. Executive Director Keisha Smith and staff said they continue to process return mail and registration transactions; several speakers asked for clearer public reporting on how returned mail and death reports are handled. The meeting proceeded to the director’s operational report following public comment.

The board did not make new policy changes on challenges at this meeting; speakers asked for follow-up explanations and transparency on prior denials and on how long ineligible registrations remain on the rolls.