DeKalb County elections Director Smith told the Board of Registration and Elections that the county had tabulated 152,481 ballots and recorded 152,483 "credits" in its preliminary precertification review, and that the results are still unofficial while canvassing continues.

The meeting, called solely to review the precertification report required by state rule, focused on the method the office used to compare total ballots cast to unique voter ID numbers by precinct and vote method (absentee by mail, advance in-person, election day and validated provisional ballots). "As you all are aware, the state election board rule ... requires that the board ... hold a meeting after election day ... for the limited purpose of conducting a review of precinct returns," Director Smith said.

The report in the board packet shows a preliminary turnout figure of 31.25% for the municipal election; Director Smith cautioned comparisons to prior elections require context because past municipal cycles did not always include statewide races. One board member noted the 2023 municipal turnout of 13.5% and said the preliminary figure represents more than a doubling of participation for a municipal contest.

Board members examined precinct-level discrepancies in the spreadsheet. Some precincts show more ballots than unique voter credits or have credit reasons listed as "unknown." Gail Lee, a board member, described the purpose of the review: "The important thing is ballots cast should equal people who voted ... this process ... is to catch ballot stuffing," and emphasized the board needs explanations for precincts where counts differ. Staff said many differences are explainable (for example, a voter given the wrong ballot style or recent address changes handled through NCOA updates) and that the office will continue to resolve anomalies during canvassing.

Director Smith addressed process and security questions raised by the board. She reported no known equipment failures, no unresolved voter-complaints requiring referral to the district attorney, and no reports of ballot stuffing. On chain-of-custody concerns raised by a board member about ballots transported in cardboard boxes, Smith said early-voting ballots are transported in sealed containers and that the office uses hard Pelican-style cases for election-day transport.

The board asked about voter wait times; Smith said there were no significant systemic delays, though a handful of locations experienced peak waits of about 30 to 45 minutes. Regarding ballots arriving between 7 and 8 p.m. at Atlanta polling places (which have an extended 8 p.m. closing time under Georgia law for cities with populations above 300,000), Smith said the preliminary count was 42 ballots across 14 precincts for that hour. Legal counsel explained the statutory basis for Atlanta's extended hour and noted litigation tied to the issue, saying detailed legal questions would require executive session.

Smith reported the office's current preliminary error rate at 0.02% (with early-voting historical averages cited around 0.1% for context) and told the board the team will continue canvassing and expects to present final certification information at a scheduled meeting on Monday. The board made no motions or votes during the meeting and adjourned after members thanked staff and poll workers.

The precertification meeting produced follow-up items for staff: resolve precinct-level discrepancies flagged "unknown" in the report; finalize canvass totals before Monday's certification; and provide any additional documentation on chain-of-custody and transport containers requested by the board.