DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections Special Called Meeting – June 18, 2026
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DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections Special Called Meeting – June 18, 2026
The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections held a special called meeting on June 18, 2026, at 9:30 AM (per provided timestamp, though the transcript begins with "Good afternoon") to conduct a pre-certification review of precinct returns, as required by state election board rule. The meeting was called to order, an acting chair was appointed, and the board heard public comments before receiving a report from the elections director on precinct ballot-to-voter ID comparisons.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Elizabeth Shackelfort (submitted via email): Expressed that pre-certification meetings are "bogus" and based on unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, arguing they divert time from the real certification process. She urged the board to advocate for improving voting systems rather than adding obstacles.
- Catherine Gaunt (in person): Identified as a native Georgian (10 generations). She emphasized that election experts are the people who run the polls and VREs, and urged the board to communicate to legislators that election officials have practical expertise. She referenced the governor's task force and suggested statewide coordination of elections boards.
- Beth Ann Frillman (in person): Echoed that the pre-certification meeting provides little value. She urged the board to influence legislators to consider the high costs of proposed changes, noting the current ballot audit is a pilot run largely by volunteers and is not sustainable long-term. She called for realistic solutions that small county departments can implement.
Discussion Items
- Pre-certification Report Presentation (by Director Miss Smith): The director explained that under rule 183-1-2-12, the board must compare for each precinct the total number of ballots cast to the total number of unique voter IDs. The report covered all precincts and identified a total of 10 discrepancies: four absentee-by-mail, five early voting, and one election day. Some discrepancies had notes with research completed; others were pending investigation (to be explained at the Tuesday meeting). Specific items noted: one voter left without voting; two precinct IDs (TV and TH) were miscoded and will be corrected on Monday; one un-researched issue on the final page.
- Board Questions:
- Travis Bowden: Had no questions at the time.
- Gil Lee: Asked about unresolved items—director confirmed they would be explained on Tuesday. Also inquired about chain of custody, fraud, errors, disruptions, complaints (all answered as none known). A question about watermarks on ballots was raised; the director noted a former poll worker believed she could recognize watermarks and saw none in a couple of locations—staff is researching that. A question about rescanned ballots: one precinct (Briar Vista, Johnston Estates) had a memory card issue on election night; 352 ballots were rescanned and they matched the scanner tape. No equipment failures affecting counts were reported.
- No vote was taken on the report; no further action was required under the agenda.
Key Outcomes
- The board accepted the pre-certification report for informational purposes; no formal vote was required.
- Board members thanked the elections staff for a well-run election and quick results. Gil Lee noted that the meeting held at the Capitol included consultation with election officials (GA VRE - Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Election Officials).
- The meeting adjourned after a motion and second. The next regular meeting was indicated for the following Tuesday.
Note: The provided meeting timestamp indicates 9:30 AM, but the transcript begins with "Good afternoon," suggesting a possible discrepancy in the recorded time.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. I'm calling to order the June 18th special called meeting of the DeCab County Board of Registration and Elections. Can I do a roll call? Good afternoon, board members. Executive director, board members when I call your name, please say here. Basu Abaraman, Travis Bowden. Here. Gil Lee. Here. Deli Loman. Here. Carly Swift. Mr. County Attorney and Board members, you have a quantum. Thank you. Um you will note that I am neither Carly Swift or Vatsuami Raman. Um they were not able to be here this evening, so we will need the board to appoint a acting chair for this meeting. Do I hear a motion to appoint someone? I'd like to make a motion to appoint Dale Daily Loman. And do I have a second? Second. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Aye. All opposed. Madam Acting Chair, the Gavel's years. Okay, thanks everyone. Uh well, let's see. We have we need a motion to approve today's agenda. So moved. Second. Any discussion. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Okay. Uh, let's do public comments, and we have two in-person comments and one emailed comment. Yes, ma'am. Public comments may be made in person or submitted by sending an email of one printed page or less at a minimum with 12-point haunt to elections public comment at decab county ga.gov, which must be received between 35 and five minutes before the scheduled start of the meeting. All public comments will be limited to two minutes. Abusive, profane or derogatory language, holding up signs, clapping, yelling, standing or laying in the aisles to show support for or opposition to a speaker will not be permitted. But a show of hands or quietly standing in place will be permitted to show support or for or opposition for a speaker's position. We have one online public comment submitted by Elizabeth Shackelfort, DeCab County resident. As I know, the board and department management know pre-certification meetings are bogus and were implemented due to unsubstantiated conspiracy theories. Pre-certification meetings take time away from the important effort the department undergoes to prepare for real certification a few days away. Maybe someday we will have a legislator and SEB that actually want to improve voting systems rather than place obstacles in the way of both voters and voter registration departments. Bessie Shaclefort. Thank you.
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