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Decatur, Ga. — In the upcoming June 9 primary election, absentee ballots are being prioritized due to concerns about in-person polling places being a site of COVID-19 spread. On March 30, 2020, the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office mailed absentee ballot applications to all registered active voters in the state. These applications were able to be submitted via email or USPS mail.

If you filled out and submitted your absentee ballot application, but haven’t received your absentee ballot yet, here’s what to do.

1. Contact the Board of Registration

Call the Dekalb County Board of Registration at 404-371-2000 and ask to be connected to the Voter Registration and Election Department.

2. Track Your Mail or Sign an Affidavit

The employee at the Voter Registration and Election Department will help you track your absentee ballot the same way a package in the mail is tracked. If they cannot locate your absentee ballot, you’ll then have to sign an affidavit, which will cancel the first ballot. An absentee ballot will then be reissued to you.

More voter troubleshooting …

What do I do if I never received an absentee ballot application?

You have two options. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is June 4th, 2020 at 4 p.m. 

1. Call the DeKalb County Registration and Elections office and ask that an application be sent to you via USPS, electronically or fax.

2. Fill out the PDF version of Official State of Georgia Absentee Ballot Application, which can be found here. You must complete, print, sign and return the application to the DeKalb County Voter and Elections Office through one of the following methods:

Email: [email protected]

Fax: (404) 298-4038

Hand-delivery/USPS: 4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300, Decatur, GA 30033

When is the deadline to mail or drop off my absentee ballot?

Absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on June 9, 2020. Uniformed and Overseas Citizens (UOCAVA) ballots must be postmarked by June 9, 2020, and received no later than Friday, June 12, 2020.

Where’s the second envelope?

The instructions in ballot packet state “after voting your ballot, enclose and securely seal the ballot in the smaller of the two envelopes provided,” which is white and reads “Official Absentee Ballot.” For many voters, they did not receive a second envelope but instead a folded piece of white paper that reads “Official Absentee Ballot.” Slip your completed ballot inside the folded piece of paper, and slip the piece of paper, containing the ballot, into the larger mailing envelope. Do not secure the piece of paper with tape or staples, as this may damage your ballot upon removal.

Where are the absentee ballot drop-off boxes located?

If you would rather drop off your absentee ballot than mail it, three drop off boxes are located at:

Exchange Park – 2771 Columbia Drive Decatur, GA 30034

Brookhaven City Hall – 4362 Peachtree Rd NE, Brookhaven, GA 30319

4380 Memorial Dr., Decatur, GA 30032

Mailing in your ballot to ‎4380 Memorial Drive, Suite 300 is also sufficient.

Is in-person early voting still available?

Yes, but View the in-person voting locations here.

More information about voting in this election:

The voter registration deadline for the June 9 election was May 11.

You can look up your status by visiting the Georgia Secretary of State’s “My Voter Page.” To visit the My Voter Page, click here. You can check your status by providing basic information like your last name, birthday and the county you live in. You can also see a sample ballot.

If you find you are not registered and want to be registered in time for the next election, there are a few ways you can get back on the voter rolls.

You can register online with the Secretary of State’s Office by clicking here.

According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, in order to register to vote you must:

– Be a citizen of the United States

– Be a legal resident of the county where you are voting

– Be at least 17 1/2 years of age to register and 18 years of age to vote

– Not be serving a sentence for conviction of a felony involving moral turpitude

– Have not been found mentally incompetent by a judge

For more information about how to register, click here.

People are being encouraged to vote by mail in the upcoming election. Most people should’ve already received an application for an absentee ballot form in the mail. Absentee ballots can be requested online through the Secretary of State’s Office or the County Board of Registrations and Elections. The county board of registrar’s office is located at 4380 Memorial Drive Suite, 300, Decatur, GA 30032. Once the ballot has been requested, election officials will mail each voter the appropriate ballot.

People voting by mail will be identified using signature verification. If a signature doesn’t match, those voters will be mailed a provisional ballot and asked to return that along with a photocopy of their identification. Three people have to agree that a signature does not match before a provisional ballot is sent to a voter.

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