ACLU of Georgia Recruiting for Fulton County Deputy Registrars
ATLANTA – The ACLU of Georgia is recruiting lawyers to volunteer as Fulton County Deputy Registrars on November 3, 2020, the final day voters can cast their ballots in the General Election. During the June 9 general primary in Georgia, many would-be absentee voters in Fulton County showed up to vote in person, which led to excessive delays as poll workers had to cancel the absentee ballots of these voters before allowing them to vote electronically. This process often involved poll managers spending 90+% of their day placing phone calls to a central office to cancel would-be absentee voters’ ballots.
Given the record number of absentee ballots already requested for the November 3 general election, Fulton County has developed a new absentee ballot cancellation process. On Election Day, when a Fulton voter who has requested an absentee ballot arrives at a polling location intending to vote in person, it will be the responsibility of the Fulton County Deputy Registrar stationed at each Fulton polling location to cancel that absentee ballot directly through the county election software. This new process will drastically reduce wait times for Fulton voters.
“The efficient and accurate execution of the absentee ballot cancellation process is essential for smooth-running elections. Georgia attorneys are well-suited to that challenge: by answering the call and serving as Fulton County Deputy Registrars, they can ensure that the highest standards of accuracy and precision are upheld. Fulton poll workers and voters will undoubtedly benefit from their service,” said Christopher Bruce, political director of the ACLU of Georgia.
Attorneys carry strict ethical obligations and procedural training, which will help engender confidence in Fulton voters in this new process. Volunteers will be sworn in as a Deputy Registrar and tasked with efficiently managing the absentee ballot cancellation process at their assigned polling location.
To serve as a Fulton County Deputy Registrar to cancel absentee ballots at the polls, attorneys must meet the following requirements.
- Be willing to work in an unpaid, volunteer capacity
- Be a registered voter in any Georgia county
- Be willing to travel to the polling location you are assigned to in Fulton County
- Be able to serve for the entirety of Election Day (5 AM – until your assigned polling location is closed)
- Be able to attend a mandatory online training session and take an oath to be sworn in as a Deputy Registrar (training dates will be provided in a follow-up email)
For more information, go to acluga.org/FultonCountyRegistrars.
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