FILE – In this July 7, 2020, file photo a woman wearing gloves drops off a mail-in ballot at a drop box in Hackensack, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
By Zachary Hansen
In preparation for November’s general election, DeKalb County expanded its number of secure absentee ballot drop box locations to 16.
A dozen locations opened Monday to accept absentee ballots for the Sept. 29 special election for Georgia’s Congressional District 5, previously held by John Lewis. Four locations, including one with three separate drop boxes, were already operational, bringing the total number of boxes to 18.
The ballot boxes are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Officials with the DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections Office said they hope to have as many as 35 absentee ballot drop boxes for November’s election. Early voting for the Nov. 3 election begins statewide Oct. 12, but DeKalb’s early voting locations have not been finalized.
Elections officials are encouraging residents to use absentee ballots to vote to avoid long lines on Election Day. Due to social distancing and sanitizing requirements, in-person voting wait times are expected to increase. Absentee ballots can be dropped off in a box until 7 p.m. on Election Day.
The new drop boxes are located at:
• Exchange Park: 2771 Columbia Drive
• City of Stonecrest: 3120 Stonecrest Boulevard
• City of Stone Mountain: 875 Main Street
• City of Dunwoody: 4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road
• City of Doraville: 3752 Park Avenue
• City of Tucker: 1975 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 350
• Toco Hill-Avia G. Williams: 1282 McConnell Drive
• Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Library: 5234 LaVista Road
• Clarkston Library: 951 N. Indian Creek Drive
• Wesley Chapel-William C. Brown Library: 2861 Wesley Chapel Road
• Decatur City Hall: 509 N. McDonough Street
• Lou Walker Senior Center: 2538 Panola Road
The drop boxes that were already open are located at:
• Brookhaven City Hall: 4362 Peachtree Road NE
• County Line-Ellenwood Library: 4331 River Road
• Sterling at Candler Village: 2536 Mellville Avenue
• Voter Registration & Elections (3 boxes): 4380 Memorial Drive
The absentee ballot application form can be found on DeKalb’s website or by clicking this link. Voters can check their registration status by visiting the Georgia My Voter Page on the Georgia Secretary of State website.
Read the original story on AJC.com.
