Commission to host Voting Town Hall

With the state of Georgia replacing all of its voting machines by the March 24 presidential primary with a new voting system, DeKalb County Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson wants to ensure voters know how to use the new machines, according to a press release. Her intent is to increase voter confidence and participation.

Cochran-Johnson will conduct a countywide Voting Town Hall 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, at Porter Sandford Performing Arts Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive, Decatur.

Residents can practice on the voting machines from 4 to 6 p.m.

“The ability to vote is among our most sacred rights as U.S. citizens,” said Cochran-Johnson. “I want to ensure DeKalb residents have faith in the system and equal access to voting free of disenfranchisement.”

The Voting Town Hall will give residents access to their voting status, the ability to register to vote, and the opportunity to speak with state and local election officials to answer questions pertinent to voting in the upcoming primaries.

Town hall panel members will include Ted Koval, Georgia Secretary of State’s Office; Samuel Tillman and Anthony Lewis, DeKalb Board of Registrations and Elections; Leona Perry, DeKalb Democrats; Thomas Bowden Esq., DeKalb Republicans; and Erica Hamilton, director of DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections.

Panel members and voting officials will be on hand to discuss voting practices, absentee voting procedures, ballot processing times, provisional ballots, how to encourage voter participation and standard voting procedures.