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Oct. 30 is the last day to vote early in the Nov. 3 election

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Oct. 30 is the last day to vote early in the Nov. 3 election

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File photo by Jonathan Phillips
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DeKalb County, GA — Friday, Oct. 30, is the last day to early vote in the Nov. 3 election.

Early voting will end on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

The DeKalb County Elections Board has said its precincts are up and running and there are no precincts closed due to the widespread power outages caused by Tropical Storm Zeta. Here is a list of early voting locations and times:

If you’re interested in early voting but operating on a schedule, DeKalb County has a solution for you.

The county has launched a website providing voters with information about wait times at early voting locations. To access the website, click here and then click the banner at the top that says “Click here for DeKalb County Advance Voting Wait Times.”

That will take you to a map showing early voting locations around the county. Click the “OK” button on the banner that pops up when you visit the site, and you’ll see a map with orange circles noting early voting locations. To see the wait times, click on the orange circle noting the early voting location. In some cases, it will give you a drop-down menu of early voting locations. Select the location you want. Selecting a location will show you the address of the location, the hours it’s open as well as the estimated wait time for voting at that location.

The website also works on mobile devices.

The DeKalb County Board of Registration and elections has released an official map of early voting and absentee ballot drop box locations ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

To see a PDF of the map, click here.

Here is a photo of the map. The red stars are early voting locations. The green circles are absentee ballot drop boxes.

While thousands are expected to cast absentee ballots this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, distrust of the absentee ballot process and the reported problems delivering the mail prompted many to vote in person this year.

Unlike on Election Day, you do not have to vote at a specific polling place during early voting. To vote in-person during early voting, you’ll need to bring a valid photo ID such as a driver’s license, passport, or voter identification card, according to georgia.gov.

You have to be 18 to vote.

People who wish to vote early and in-person will need to bring one of the following forms of identification, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office:

– Any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID, including a free ID Card issued by your county registrar’s office or the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS)

– A Georgia Driver’s License, even if expired

– Valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency, or entity of the U.S. Government, Georgia, or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state

– Valid U.S. passport ID

– Valid U.S. military photo ID

– Valid tribal photo ID

The polls offer audio ballots for voters who are blind or have low vision and booths for voters in wheelchairs. If you need help with your ballot, you can ask a family member or friend to come with you to the polls and fill the ballot in with your choices.

If you can’t vote in person – either early or on Election Day – you also have the option to request an absentee ballot to vote by mail or using a ballot drop box. The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office has established a website specifically for absentee ballot requests. To use that site, click hereIt is strongly advised that you use a ballot drop box if you want to vote absentee this year. 

If you prefer to vote on Nov. 3, find your polling location and check whether your absentee ballot was accepted by visiting the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page. To visit the page, click here. This page will also provide information about your polling place if you choose to vote on Election Day.

People who choose to vote on Election Day instead of voting early might find that they have a precinct different than the one they usually use.

According to DeKalb County, “Many of the previous precincts were used on an emergency basis during the June 9 and Aug. 11 elections, while additional precincts were changed to provide additional space for social distancing and to better accommodate larger crowds. Additionally, secure ballot drop boxes [for absentee ballots] have been added to the Kirkwood Library and Lithonia City Hall.”

Here is a full list of the precinct changes voters will encounter if the vote on Nov. 3 instead of voting early.

“While we are experiencing record early and absentee voting in DeKalb, we know that many voters are eagerly awaiting an opportunity to cast their ballots on Election Day,” DeKalb County Voter Registration and Election Director Erica Hamilton said in a press release. “We want all voters to double-check their polling locations to ensure that they know where to go to vote.”

The county also is mailing voters a letter to notify them about the precinct change. Signs will be placed at the old precincts directing voters to the new locations.

“Given the gravity of this global pandemic, we have to keep the health and well-being of our voters and workers as our top priority, and these larger venues will allow voters to practice social distancing and will create better traffic flow on what we anticipate to be a historically busy day of voting,” Hamilton said in the press release. “We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to serving the voters of DeKalb.”

Changes will also be posted at www.DeKalbVotes.com

To vote in person you will need the same forms of identification needed to vote early. Polls will open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Please vote in the Nov. 3 elections.

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