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Record of Proceedings

DeKalb County Board of Elections Pre-Certification Meeting - July 30, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Committees — Thursday, July 30, 2026
BodyDekalb County, Georgia
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Committees
DateThursday, July 30, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 6:05
Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

Good afternoon.

0:10

Welcome to the special call meeting of the DeCab County Board of Registration and Elections.

0:17

Can I get the roll call, please?

0:21

Good afternoon, board members.

0:22

Vasu Abhirahman.

0:26

Here.

0:27

Travis Bowden.

0:28

Here.

0:29

Gail Lee.

0:30

Here.

0:30

Dale Lohman.

0:32

Carly Swift.

0:33

Here.

0:33

Madam Chair, we have a quorum.

0:36

Thank you.

0:37

And just for the public's information, uh, this is a mandated.

0:42

This this meeting is a pre-certification meeting, so we actually don't require, we don't need quorum because we will not be taking any action.

0:49

Is that correct?

0:51

Or do we still need quorum?

0:53

Okay, great.

0:53

But we will not be taking any action today.

0:56

We will we will be reviewing the pre-certification report.

0:59

Can I get an approval of the agenda?

1:02

So moved.

1:03

Second.

1:04

All in favor.

1:05

Aye.

1:06

Aye.

1:06

Aye.

1:07

And as noted, again, this is a meeting just to review the pre-certification report uh for the July 28th Congressional District 13 special election.

1:20

Um we don't have any public comment today.

1:23

So we're going to move into uh the discussion item.

1:29

Um and I will turn it over to Director Smith.

1:33

Thank you, madam chair.

1:34

Um, so in accordance with the state election board rule 183, 112, 12, which requires the board of registration and elections to hold this meeting for the limited purpose of conducting a review of pre seek returns, where for each precinct, the board shall compare the total number of ballots cast to the total number of unique voter ID numbers.

1:58

The total number of ballots cast by each vote method shall be determined for each precinct and include absentee ballots received by the close of the polls, including those cast by advanced voting, ballots cast in person on election day, and all validated provisional ballots that have been tabulated to determine the total number of unique voter ID numbers.

2:23

The department shall compile a list of all voters who voted in the election, included including by method of voting, and examine set list for duplicates.

2:34

The list shall then be sorted by precinct, and the total number of unique voter IDs from each precinct shall be counted.

2:43

The number, the total number of unique voters who voted by each method shall be reported for each precinct again, and that's rule 183-11 F3.

2:56

This is what you have been provided today.

3:00

Um the pre-certification report and the packet, July 28th, 2026 special election.

3:07

And as of um June 30th, I'm sorry, July 30th today, an unofficial and incomplete comparison of ballots tabulated and unique voter registration numbers credited by precinct and counting group is provided below.

3:22

And as you will see, there are no differences.

3:37

And so you see the precinct IDs there, um, a total uh number for absentee of 27 ballots, early voting 609, and election day 339, again with no discrepancies.

3:59

Okay.

4:00

Um I will start to my left with Ms.

4:04

Lee.

4:04

Are there any questions?

4:08

Were there any disruptions or um mechanical failures that were significant to affect the voting?

4:16

Not to my knowledge.

4:17

And was it necessary to rescan any balance?

4:21

No.

4:22

Okay, that's all my questions.

4:24

Thank you.

4:24

Thank you.

4:25

Mr.

4:25

Bowden.

4:27

My colleague answered my questions, I have none.

4:30

Mr.

4:31

Abaraman.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Summary of Proceedings

DeKalb County Board of Elections Pre-Certification Meeting - July 30, 2026

This was a special call meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Registration and Elections held on July 30, 2026, mandated as a pre-certification review for the July 28, 2026, Congressional District 13 special election. The board reviewed the pre-certification report and took no action.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda was approved by unanimous voice vote (moved, seconded, all in favor).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were heard.

Discussion Items

  • Director Smith presented the pre-certification report in accordance with State Election Board Rule 183-1-12-12. The report compared the total number of ballots cast to the total number of unique voter ID numbers for each precinct and vote method.
  • The totals reported (as of July 30, 2026, and noted as unofficial and incomplete) were:
    • Absentee ballots: 27
    • Early voting: 609
    • Election Day: 339
  • There were no discrepancies between the number of ballots tabulated and the number of unique voter IDs across all precincts.
  • Board members asked questions: Gail Lee inquired about disruptions or mechanical failures (none to the director's knowledge) and whether any ballots needed to be rescanned (no). Travis Bowden and Vasu Abhirahman had no additional questions.

Key Outcomes

  • The board completed its review and found no issues requiring action.
  • No executive session was requested.
  • Board members expressed appreciation for staff's work on the special election and looked forward to the certification meeting on Monday, August 3, 2026.
  • The meeting was adjourned by unanimous voice vote (moved, seconded, all in favor).

Meeting Transcript

Good afternoon. Welcome to the special call meeting of the DeCab County Board of Registration and Elections. Can I get the roll call, please? Good afternoon, board members. Vasu Abhirahman. Here. Travis Bowden. Here. Gail Lee. Here. Dale Lohman. Carly Swift. Here. Madam Chair, we have a quorum. Thank you. And just for the public's information, uh, this is a mandated. This this meeting is a pre-certification meeting, so we actually don't require, we don't need quorum because we will not be taking any action. Is that correct? Or do we still need quorum? Okay, great. But we will not be taking any action today. We will we will be reviewing the pre-certification report. Can I get an approval of the agenda? So moved. Second. All in favor. Aye. Aye. Aye. And as noted, again, this is a meeting just to review the pre-certification report uh for the July 28th Congressional District 13 special election. Um we don't have any public comment today. So we're going to move into uh the discussion item. Um and I will turn it over to Director Smith. Thank you, madam chair. Um, so in accordance with the state election board rule 183, 112, 12, which requires the board of registration and elections to hold this meeting for the limited purpose of conducting a review of pre seek returns, where for each precinct, the board shall compare the total number of ballots cast to the total number of unique voter ID numbers. The total number of ballots cast by each vote method shall be determined for each precinct and include absentee ballots received by the close of the polls, including those cast by advanced voting, ballots cast in person on election day, and all validated provisional ballots that have been tabulated to determine the total number of unique voter ID numbers. The department shall compile a list of all voters who voted in the election, included including by method of voting, and examine set list for duplicates. The list shall then be sorted by precinct, and the total number of unique voter IDs from each precinct shall be counted. The number, the total number of unique voters who voted by each method shall be reported for each precinct again, and that's rule 183-11 F3. This is what you have been provided today. Um the pre-certification report and the packet, July 28th, 2026 special election. And as of um June 30th, I'm sorry, July 30th today, an unofficial and incomplete comparison of ballots tabulated and unique voter registration numbers credited by precinct and counting group is provided below. And as you will see, there are no differences. And so you see the precinct IDs there, um, a total uh number for absentee of 27 ballots, early voting 609, and election day 339, again with no discrepancies. Okay. Um I will start to my left with Ms. Lee. Are there any questions? Were there any disruptions or um mechanical failures that were significant to affect the voting? Not to my knowledge.

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