Officials to give insight, updates on elections

Virtual town hall set for today to answer residents’ questions.

Officials from Atlanta and Fulton County are set to provide residents with information about upcoming elec t ions in metro Atlanta during a virtual town hall today.

The event, hosted by city of Atlanta Councilwoman Marci Collier Overstreet, will feature Fulton County elec- tions director Richard Bar- ron, Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chair- man Robb Pitts and local political strategist Tharon Johnson.

Residents of Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District will vote in a Sept. 29 special election to fill the remainder of John Lewis’ term in the U.S. House of Representatives, which ends after this year. Lewis represented the area in Congress for over three decades before his death in July.

That is followed by the Nov. 3 general election, which includes some local races as well as the federal races for the presidency and Congress, which could lead to runoffs on Dec. 1 and Jan. 3.

“Our region has been tasked to head to the polls to vote each month for several different races since May and we’re expected to continue to vote each month until January 2021,” Collier said in a statement. Her district includes much of southwest Atlanta.

The town hall is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m. today. Registration for the event, which will happen over Zoom, is available for free online. The officials and experts are expected to answer questions about what residents need to know ahead of this fall’s elections.

In Fulton, the June primary election was marred by issues with absentee ballots and problems at the polls, which led to long lines for many voters.

The Georgia Secretary of State’s Office said it is working with county elections officials to avoid a repeat of the chaotic primary elections.