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Fulton elections office plans free email/text notifications and precinct relocations ahead of May election; Vote Safe protections limit emailed lists
Summary
Elections staff told the Fulton County board they will use a county vendor to offer free email and text notifications (aiming for March 1 rollout) and that at least 14 replacement sites for school-based precincts have been identified pending surveys. Staff said certain numbered voter lists cannot be emailed because they contain Vote Safe-protected records.
Fulton County elections staff told the Board of Registration and Elections on Jan. 8 that the office plans to use a county vendor account to send voter notifications via email and text at no charge to the county, with training and an anticipated rollout by March 1 ahead of the May election.
"We do have a capable account that other departments utilize through a vendor, that we'll be able to utilize to send out notifications to voters via email and text, and there'll be no charge to the county," the director said during the operations report. Staff said postal mail notices required by law will continue, and the new service is an additional channel; voters must opt in through the elections office materials and the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page to receive texts or emails.
Board members asked how many voters the office could reach. Staff reported they have email addresses for 168,000 of 848,000 registered voters, mobile-phone contacts for 77,000 and phone numbers for 87,000, noting overlap among those counts. Staff offered to provide flyers at advance-voting and election-day sites and to work with external affairs for outreach.
On precinct locations, staff said they are reviewing roughly 46 schools and have identified at least 14 potential replacement facilities pending electrical surveys and board approval. The priority is elementary locations because some elementary gyms lack alternatives and parents have raised student-safety concerns.
Staff also updated the board on a poll-worker investigation: Fulton County Police have the case, criminal charges have been filed, and the elections office has provided statements. The board was advised that investigations and any criminal process remain with law enforcement and the secretary of state, and the board’s role in criminal investigation is limited.
Finally, staff summarized the 2026 election calendar: the county’s first big election is May 19 (general primary) with a possible runoff June 16; the general election is Nov. 3 with a possible Dec. 1 runoff. The board voted unanimously to table a canvassing-policy overview scheduled from August 2025 and moved into executive session later in the meeting.
Next steps: training for the notification system is scheduled ahead of May and staff will produce outreach materials; staff will continue to share updates from law-enforcement or the secretary of state about the poll-worker investigation.
