Elections director: DeKalb has 598,038 registered voters; backlog mostly cleared for 2025, mobile voting unit planned for 2026; challenger hearing set

Director Smith told the board on March 13 that, as of March 6, DeKalb County had 598,038 registered voters: 510,481 active and 87,557 inactive. The director said staff were processing applications daily and that the packet numbers change frequently.

Smith told the board the registrations that remain from the 2024 cycle total 3,922 applications requiring processing, and the packet listed a broader total of 8,260 applications awaiting action across various submission channels. Manual registration cancellations reported in the packet totaled 173.

Registration Supervisor Holly Smith told the board staff were "completely caught up" with 2025 applications in the Oliver and MVP systems and that only limited items remained in DDS that required cure letters or additional information. She said Oliver had a backlog left from multiple duplicate submissions in 2024 and that staff were clearing those entries; she said about 21 MVP items and roughly 59 DDS items remained under active review.

Director Smith also reported that the board's budget request to reinstate previously proposed funding was approved; the final FY2025 budget included about $600,000 that staff said will fund six additional full-time equivalents (including fringe and benefits). Staff also said the board received approval to proceed with purchasing a mobile voting unit, to be built out through Fleet using remaining FY2024 surplus funds; the mobile unit build-out is now expected to complete in 2026.

On challenges to registration, Director Smith said the office received a set of challenges from a named challenger, Bill Henderson, on March 6; staff said notices will go out to the challenged voters and to the challenger and that hearing dates will be scheduled for the next board meeting. The director emphasized the challenger bears the burden of proof under the challenge process.

Public commenters urged the board to resist broad or unfounded challenges to registrations and to prioritize education and outreach. Elizabeth Shackleford, a public commenter, criticized recent legislative proposals and said in part, "ill conceived laws like Georgia's sb189 are a bad solution in search of a nonexistent problem," while other commenters asked the board to focus on voter education for down-ballot contests and to ensure signage and outreach at changed polling places.

Staff outlined the operations steps they are taking to address the backlogs, augment temporary staffing, check poll official availability and prepare outreach materials for early voting. The board did not take a new vote on staffing or the mobile unit at the March 13 meeting; staff said the budget approval process already provided those funds and staff will proceed with hiring and procurement steps.

Context and next steps Staff will send notices to voters named in the Bill Henderson challenges and schedule hearings at the next board meeting; they will also continue to fill positions funded in the FY2025 budget and continue the mobile-unit buildout with Fleet.