Board reviews SOP to accept hand‑delivered absentee ballots at advance voting sites; couriers, sealed bags, and chain‑of‑custody emphasized
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Summary
Fulton County staff presented standard operating procedures to accept absentee ballots at advance voting locations using sealed bags, two‑person courier teams and chain‑of‑custody forms; the board discussed transparency concerns, poll‑watcher access and legal authority under state code.
Fulton County elections staff presented a proposed operating procedure April 9 for accepting hand‑delivered absentee ballots at advance voting sites, describing sealed transport bags, chain‑of‑custody forms and two‑person courier teams that will move bags to a secure Elections Hub.
Director Williams told the board the plan is to equip managers and assistant managers at advance voting locations with sealed bags and deputy‑registrar authority so they can accept hand‑delivered absentee ballots; she said managers will confirm bags are empty, reseal them after any ballots are placed inside, complete a chain‑of‑custody form and hand the sealed bag to a two‑person courier team that will transport it to a locked cage at the Elections Hub.
Legal basis and safeguards: Attorney Pechuta said state code permits voters to hand‑deliver absentee ballots and allows the board to establish additional registrar offices to receive them. Williams said staff created chain‑of‑custody forms, training materials for poll managers and a process so bags are counted and verified at the end of each day before processing in the absentee division.
Transparency concerns: Board members pressed staff on how poll watchers and the public could observe transfers and confirm seal numbers. Director Williams said poll watchers may observe the emptying process at polling locations while staff are present and that if code requires hub access staff will comply; she noted logistical constraints may limit direct access to the hub area but pledged to consult legal counsel and ensure compliance.
Operational details and open items: Staff said there are 32 advance voting locations and seven existing drop boxes; for locations without drop boxes, managers will accept bags. Director Williams estimated the procedure will mirror current absentee processing once bags reach the absentee division; the board asked staff to confirm whether the public can observe seal verification at the hub and requested a legal opinion on poll‑watcher access and any additional posting of SOPs online.
Next steps: The board reviewed the policy language but did not take a separate vote on the SOPs that day; staff said they had already voted previously to authorize the department to use advance locations as registrar offices and will provide the board with legal guidance about public observation at the hub and consider posting non‑sensitive SOP material online.
