Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson to Host Countywide Voting Town Hall

DECATUR, Ga. – The state of Georgia will be replacing all of its voting machines by the March 24 presidential primary with a new voting system. In the wake of this change, DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson wants to ensure all DeKalb residents experience how to use the new voting machine with the intent on increasing voter confidence and voter participation.

To provide this access, Commissioner Cochran-Johnson will hold a countywide Voting Town Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Porter Sandford Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow Dr., Decatur, GA 30034. Interactive voting machine experiences will take place from 4 to 6 p.m.

“The ability to vote is among our most sacred rights as U.S. citizens,” said Commissioner Cochran-Johnson. “I want to ensure DeKalb residents have faith in the system and equal access to voting free of disenfranchisement.”

“Understanding the voter purge, I want to get an early start on checking the voter status of DeKalb residents,” said Commissioner Cochran-Johnson. “I hear my constituents loud and clear when they voice concerns and I’m dedicated to ensuring no vote goes uncounted.”

The Voting Town Hall will give residents access to their voting status, the ability to register to vote, and the opportunity to speak with state and local election officials to answer questions pertinent to voting in the approaching primaries.

“2020 will be a critical year on the local, state, and national level,” said Commissioner Cochran-Johnson. “Many Americans want change and need to know their voice and their vote will be heard. As an elected official, I am here to work with our local voting office to ensure we have the most efficient practices and procedures in place and all poll workers are fully trained and understand voting procedures.”

Town hall panel members will include Ted Koval, Georgia Secretary of State Office; Samuel Tillman and Anthony Lewis, DeKalb Board of Registrations and Elections; Leona Perry, DeKalb Democrats; Thomas Bowden, Esq., DeKalb Republicans; and Erica Hamilton, director of the DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections. Panel members and voting officials will be on-hand to discuss voting practices, absentee voting procedures, ballot processing times, provisional ballots, how to encourage voter participation and standard voting procedures.

“We look forward to the opportunity to engage DeKalb’s voting electorate and share information and best practices to ensure all DeKalb residents are confident as we approach 2020,” Hamilton said.

For media coverage or to schedule interviews with Commissioner Cochran-Johnson, email amslocum@dekalbcountyga.gov or call 404-371-3681.

To register for community updates and notification of future events, visit www.CommissionerLorraineCochranJohnson.com.

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