Decatur, GA — Perhaps, despite your most vigilant efforts to fulfill your civic duty, your absentee ballot for the Jan. 5 runoff hasn’t arrived in your mailbox. Here’s what to do, according to the New Georgia Project and DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections.

According to social media posts from New Georgia Project, if you requested your absentee ballot before Dec. 15 and haven’t received it, you should make a plan to vote in person. Early voting ends Thursday, Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. To see a list of early voting locations in DeKalb County, click here.

When you get to the polling place, explain to the poll worker that you never received your absentee ballot and that you would like to “spoil” the unreceived ballot and vote in-person. You’ll have to fill out an affidavit, so early voting is your best option for this.

If you are out-of-state or are unable to vote in person for another reason, it’s possible that your absentee ballot may still arrive before Jan. 5. The deadline for turning in absentee ballots to a dropbox is 7 p.m. on Jan. 5. To see a list of dropbox locations in DeKalb County, click here.

According to DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections, you believe that your absentee ballot was lost or stolen, you can contact DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections to cancel the ballot and have a new one sent out. However, it’s possible that the new ballot won’t arrive before Jan. 5, so this is a risky option. It’s best, at this time, to early vote in-person.

In the midst of major USPS delays due to holiday shopping and the pandemic, civil rights groups and the USPS recently reached a deal to treat ballots as express mail.

If you have questions, contact DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections at [email protected] or 404-298-4020.

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