DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections Meeting – July 10, 2026

The DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections met on July 10, 2026, to consider several key agenda items including early voting locations for the November 2026 general election, a $1 million media vendor agreement for voter outreach, and special election approvals. The meeting also featured public comments, a risk management update, and a detailed director's report demonstrating the county's election performance. The board faced a 3-2 split on the vendor contract and a failed attempt to add a Pledge of Allegiance resolution to the agenda.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda Approval: After a motion to amend the agenda by adding a "Pledge of Allegiance to the flag" resolution failed (voice vote, ayes vs. nays, motion failed), the board unanimously approved the agenda as distributed.
• Minutes Approval: The board unanimously approved minutes from the May 22, June 18, and June 23 meetings.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Cheryl Dudley (DeKalb County resident): Expressed grave concern about threats to democracy, urging the board to ensure free, fair, and safe elections. She referenced old KKK Acts, opposed ICE and extremist groups interfering, and criticized demands for voting records and personal information.
• Janet Grant (DeKalb resident, poll manager): Thanked the board for accessible and efficient elections, noting that her polls saw record volumes with no significant wait times. She praised early voting plans but requested additional sites in gap areas: Decatur, South DeKalb, East DeKalb, Stone Mountain, and near Emory/Doraville.
• Michael Beach (poll manager): Criticized the State Election Board's (SEB) continued push for rules he said undermine trust (e.g., requiring handwritten numbered voter lists, redefining "vote"). He asked the DeKalb board and delegation to take a strong stance against these changes.
• Betsy Shackelford: Expressed hope that last-minute SEB and Trump administration attempts to change voting rules would fail, and emphasized the importance of early voting.
• Beth Ann Frillman: Thanked the department for clearing the voter registration backlog and requested expansion of early voting sites.
• Liz Tru: Noted that DeKalb increased early voting sites from 16 in 2022 to 20 proposed for 2026, but asked for more sites in population-dense areas (near I-20 inside 285, Doraville, downtown Decatur) to help non-drivers.

Discussion Items

• Early Voting Times and Locations for November 2026 General Election: The board considered staff's proposal for 20 early voting sites. An amendment by Gail Lee changed Sunday hours from 12:00–5:00 p.m. to 12:00–6:00 p.m. to match Saturday hours. The amendment passed unanimously. The main motion as amended also passed unanimously, directing staff to continue researching additional locations and authorizing the executive director to add them.
• Media Vendor Agreement for Public Engagement (Voter Outreach): Staff presented a $1 million plan for billboards (I-20, I-285, I-85), MARTA bus ads, streaming TV, and radio. Board member Lee questioned equity in radio exposures (V103 and WRDG had four exposures vs. three for others) and asked for adjustments. Board member Lohman defended the proposal as representative of the county's diversity and market realities. Board member Swift supported the plan, suggesting expansion if budget allows. The motion to approve the agreement (contingent on BOC approval and in a form acceptable by the county attorney) passed 3-2.
• Special Elections: The board approved holding special elections in November 2026 for: the cities of Pine Lake and Stonecrest, annexation referendums for Tucker and Atlanta, and a DeKalb school district ESPLOST. The executive director was authorized to sign necessary documents. Vote: unanimous.
• Risk Management Update: Deputy Finance Director Larry Jacobs explained that workers' compensation for election workers is budgeted by socializing the $10 million countywide cost across departments using headcount (including temporary election workers). The history of claims for election workers is low. Board members acknowledged the value of the presentation and asked about safety training.
• Director's Report: Executive Director Smith reported:
  • Voter registration: 574,153 registered voters (502,682 active; 71,471 inactive) as of July 2.
  • Processing backlog: 2,797 applications to process as of July 7; staff cleared prior backlog.
  • Recount (PSC District 3 Republican primary): DeKalb had zero difference between original and recount tabulation, the only large metro county not to recertify.
  • Risk-limiting audit: No discrepancies found in 9,689 ballots.
  • Ballot image audit: No differences.
  • Upcoming special election (July 28, CD 13): Early voting begins July 6 at one location; four precincts on election day.
  • Budget: $11,847,661.29 remaining of $15 million; negative line items were corrected.
  • Outreach: Events at Republican Party breakfast, ads in Champion, mailers, social media.

Key Outcomes

• Failed amendment to add Pledge of Allegiance resolution to the agenda (voice vote).
• Early voting for November 2026 approved: 20 sites with Sunday hours extended to 6:00 p.m. Staff authorized to add sites.
• Media vendor agreement approved 3-2, contingent on BOC approval and county attorney's approval.
• Special elections (Pine Lake, Stonecrest, annexations, school ESPLOST) approved unanimously.
• Pre-certification meeting for the July 28 special election set for July 30 at 4:30 p.m. (backup: July 31 at 10:00 a.m.).
• Board members expressed appreciation for staff performance and transparency; two members noted desire for greater inclusion of their agenda items.