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Voter raises concerns about short notice and extra advance-voting days
Summary
A voter told the Cobb County Board of Elections the agenda item expanding advance-voting and weekend ballot drop-off was posted only four days before the meeting, raising Open Meetings Act and cost-transparency questions; the board discussed costs and staffing before approving weekend hand-delivery.
A resident, Andy Kingery, told the Cobb County Board of Elections he was worried that an item on the meeting agenda had been posted only four days earlier and said the Georgia Open Meetings Act supports at least seven days of notice for agenda items. "This agenda item was made public 4 days ago. The Open Meetings Act supports at least 7 days of notice," Kingery said, urging more transparent explanations, cost estimates and justification for the proposal.
Kingery also questioned expanding acceptance of hand-delivered absentee ballots and the additional staffing and costs that would be required to open the elections office for extra days. Board counsel Daniel White acknowledged the public's concerns about notice and said the office added the item to the agenda to provide extra transparency, noting past court validation of similar procedures. White said, "I recommended adding this last week ... having at least 4 or 5 days of it being on the agenda, but having an additional month or 2 of people having noticed that the county's gonna do this, is better." (Daniel White, counsel.)
Director Lee Phillips said the plan for weekend hand-delivery would require two additional staff for chain-of-custody responsibilities and that staff would have election work to do during those hours. After discussion the board approved a motion to accept hand-delivered absentee-by-mail ballots at the elections office on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday between the close of advance in-person voting and Election Day.
Why it matters: The item touches both transparency about how the board adds late items to its agenda and the practical cost and chain-of-custody implications of offering weekend, in‑person ballot acceptance. The board framed the vote as an operational convenience widely used in prior elections and supported by prior court review, while members asked staff to clarify costs and staffing details.
Next steps: Staff said it will proceed with the weekend acceptance plan and provide requested cost and staffing breakdowns in follow-up communication to the board.
