DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections Meeting – May 26, 2026
DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections Meeting – May 26, 2026
This meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections on May 26, 2026, focused on certifying the May 19, 2026 primary election results, planning early voting for the June 16 runoff, and addressing upcoming legislative issues. The board heard public comments on voter education, election worker performance, and concerns about redistricting and QR code legislation. The board unanimously certified the election, approved early voting locations and amended times for the runoff, and received updates on registration, budget, and stakeholder communications.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the agenda unanimously.
- Approved minutes from the April 8 special call meeting and April 13, 2026 scheduled meeting without edits.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Janet Grant – Expressed thanks for poll worker support and urged the board to advocate for delaying the QR code ban (Senate Bill 189) and to oppose partisan mid-cycle redistricting during the upcoming special legislative session. She also requested ample early voting access for the June runoff.
- Betsy Jacqueline – Congratulated the board on a smooth election but noted broken seals on provisional bags and confusion among voters about the nonpartisan ballot (judicial races only). She raised concerns about legislative efforts that make voting harder and urged the board to resist rushed changes to the voting system.
- Michael Beach – Thanked staff for just-in-time training and praised the free, fair, and secure election. He urged board members to attend the special session to push back on redistricting and QR-code deadlines, citing that the recent Supreme Court decision does not require Georgia to redraw maps.
- Speaker (unnamed, first public comment) – Thanked poll managers and expressed concern about ICE presence at polls and potential voter intimidation. Asked the board to remain vigilant.
- Speaker (Briar Vista resident) – Described a negative experience with a ballot scanner worker who was cold and terse. Requested the board reiterate customer service in poll worker training and strategically place workers who enjoy interacting with voters.
- Activist (unnamed) – Noted difficulty obtaining sample ballots (only 10 or 6 at a time) and urged the board to increase sample ballot availability at training sessions and in the community. Also raised concerns about redistricting and the need for voter education.
Discussion Items
- Election Certification Report – Deputy Directors Henry and Harris presented results for the May 19, 2026 primary. Overall turnout: 35.25% (174,491 ballots cast). Breakdown: Election day 84,434, early voting 87,194 (highest for any general primary in history), absentee by mail 2,721, provisional 142. Early voting spiked on the last two days, with Memorial Drive location setting a record of 2,753 voters on May 15. Absentee ballot cure process explained. Board members expressed no major concerns and thanked staff. The board voted unanimously to certify the election.
- Runoff Early Voting Locations and Times – Proposed locations (19, down from 20 due to removal of Living Grace Church in Tucker because of size constraints). Discussion on Saturday June 6 (first day of early voting) hours – originally 9am to 6pm. Board member Vasu Abiramen suggested extending to 7-7 but later agreed to keep 9-6 for the primary runoff, with a commitment to 7-7 for general election runoffs. Board member Dele Lohman proposed extending Sunday June 7 hours from 12-5 to 12-6. Consenus reached. Motion approved unanimously for locations and times as amended (Mon-Fri June 8-12 7am-7pm, Sat June 6 9am-6pm, Sun June 7 12pm-6pm).
- Director’s Report –
- Registration update: 568,239 registered voters (495,655 active, 72,584 inactive). 12,329 applications pending processing, with about 5,000 processed per week. Only new voters will be eligible for the runoff if processed before early voting begins.
- Budget report: Operating budget trending well; questions about temporary personnel services and a $525,000 budget adjustment for poll worker salaries, and a contract for equipment transportation. Clarification provided.
- Stakeholder communications: Planned voter guide with candidate statements for November, sample ballot mailer for the July 28 special election (CD13). Board member Carly Swift suggested increasing social media engagement to combat misinformation.
- Legislative Update – Governor called a special legislative session for June 17 to address redistricting and the QR code issue (Senate Bill 189). Board member noted they are monitoring.
Key Outcomes
- Certification of May 19, 2026 election – Approved unanimously.
- Runoff early voting plan – Approved 19 locations and times as amended (Sunday June 7 extended to 6pm).
- Executive session – Held to discuss litigation (no public details).
- Board comments – Members thanked staff and poll workers, noted confusion around nonpartisan primaries, and encouraged continued voter education.
- Adjournment – Motion passed.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Welcome to today's Rayleigh uh regularly scheduled board of registration and elections meeting. Can I get the roll call, please? Good afternoon, board members. Can I call your name? Please respond by saying here. Vasu Abiramen? Here. Travis Bowden. Here. Gil Lee. Here. Dele Lohman. Here. Carly Swift. Here. Madam Chair, we have a quorum. Thank you. Can I get a motion to approve the agenda? So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you. Okay. So there you should, board members, in your packet, you should see the uh minutes of the April 8th special call meeting and the April 13th, 2026 uh scheduled meeting. You're on pages two and four. Um if you have if you have any um, I don't believe that there are any edits, but can I get a motion to approve both? Madam Chairman, I make a motion to approve both the April 8th and April 13th uh scheduled meeting minutes. Second. All right, all in favor? Aye. Thank you. We are ready for public comment. Public comment may be made in person or by submitting or sending an email of one printed page or less in a minimum of 12 font to elections public CCMT at DeCAP County GA.gov, which must be received between 35 and five minutes before the schedule start of the meeting. The body of your email must include your first and last name. By submitting an email for public comment, you agree to have your name and email broadcast in the Ustream and entered into the record are minutes, record and minutes. The DeCav Board of Registration and Elections Reserves the right at the board's sole discretion to add your email to the record or minutes without reading any of it into the broadcast, or to read it all or a portion of your email into the record or minutes. All public comments will be limited to two minutes. Abusive, profane or derogatory language, holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing, or laying in the house to show support or opposition to a speaker will not be permitted, but a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show your support or opposition to a speaker's position. Thank you. Hi, good morning all. No, seriously. Um I want to thank again the DeCab Election Board for again supporting democracy. Um I want to thank the bravest people in the world to me right now are the poll managers and workers who um I have a good friend who was a manager at a poll place, and she it was like working 12 hours a day, never leaving the building, making things sure things are safe. So it's getting a little uh disconcerting that uh some folks on the other side want to claim otherwise. Um my only other thing is for the future. Again, uh not so much again. I know they're gonna be probably a lot of changes after this runoff election, but please please be uh cognizant of the fact that um not only for the election in November is there going to still be concerned for ice because while all of our attention has been on other things, um the ice is still around.
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