May 1, 2022 Statement Regarding Discrepancy in Redistricting from DeKalb Voter Registration & Elections (VRE) Department
Over the weekend, a voter brought to the DeKalb VRE Department’s attention a discrepancy between the precinct map approved by the General Assembly and their assigned County Commission district on the Secretary of State’s website. The Department investigated immediately and discovered that approximately 6,800 voters were affected by this issue in the Avondale High, Northlake, Rehoboth, Glennwood, and Winnona Park precincts.
In order to ensure that affected voters will be able to cast a ballot in the correct races for the General Primary, voters in the aforementioned precincts who choose to vote early in-person will do so using specially designated equipment. Each of the 14 advance voting sites will have at least one designated ballot marking device (BMD) and one designated ballot scanner to accommodate these voters. Election Day voting will not be affected.
Additionally, 99 voters in the affected precincts have already requested absentee-by-mail ballots. DeKalb VRE will immediately cancel those ballots and reissue corrected ballots to those voters. There is no additional action required on the part of voters except to submit their corrected ballots once they receive them.
“This discrepancy in precinct assignments was caused by a misalignment between the state legislative process and the Secretary of State’s redistricting timeline for county elections offices,” stated Dele Lowman Smith, Chair of DeKalb’s Board of Registration & Elections (BRE). “DeKalb VRE leadership responded urgently when they learned of this error and worked through the weekend to find a solution that will allow all affected voters to cast their ballots for the correct races in whatever manner works best for them: absentee-by-mail, advance inperson voting, or at their assigned precinct on Election Day. The Board of Registration & Elections thanks the attentive citizen who brought this to our attention, and we are tremendously grateful to our employees for their commitment to serving DeKalb County voters.”
6,716 voters across the following five precincts were assigned to the incorrect County Commission district:
- Avondale High
- Northlake
- Rehoboth
- Glennwood
- Winnona Park
Voters in the affected precincts will vote on designated equipment throughout Advance voting, May 2nd through May 20th. There will be one designated ballot marking device (BMD) and one designated ballot scanner at each Advance voting location. The Advance voting site on the Emory campus (1599 Clifton Road) will have two designated BMDs available for affected voters. DeKalb VRE will cancel and reissue absentee-by-mail ballots to all affected voters who requested them prior to the discovery of this discrepancy.
Election Day voting will not be affected; however, voters may notice some differences in Election Night reporting.
FAQs
Q. When will voters receive their updated precinct cards? Will they be correct?
A. DeKalb VRE has not yet received updated precinct cards from the Secretary of State. VRE anticipates mailing the cards in time for Election Day so that voters are informed of their correct precinct and polling location. Voters who were affected by the redistricting error will receive an explanatory letter along with their corrected precinct card.
Q. If I still have questions or feel I may have been impacted by this discrepancy, how do I confirm my voter information?
A. Contact DeKalb VRE at 404.298.4020 to speak with a staff member today.
1300 Commerce Drive Decatur, GA 30030
