Report: 38,000 DeKalb voters labeled inactive over undelivered mail can still vote, county says

“People who voted as recently as this summer have received the same thing,” the reader said. “When I called DeKalb County about it, they said they were getting a lot of calls, and they genuinely seemed baffled. The mail comes from the county but is addressed to be returned to the SOS. I was advised on the phone that I could still vote in inactive status, but I don’t trust in that, especially now knowing that lots and lots of people have gotten it.”

It’s a familiar story being told to county elections officials, who are trying to determine why so many DeKalb voters were affected.

DeKalb County Elections Board Chair Karli Swift tried to assuage voters’ concerns. She said the elections board is committed to ensuring all eligible voters can cast a ballot in November. “Inactive” does not mean ineligible to vote, she said. The easiest way to fix the problem? Vote, she said.

“We understand the confusion the inactive voter status may bring, but rest assured DeKalb VRE is working diligently to address this issue,” Swift said. “Every election cycle, DeKalb, as well as every other major county, carries a number of inactive voters – with our county seeing about a six percent uptick in voters being designated as inactive. We have asked the VRE staff to work to build awareness and educate our residents about their voter status and easy ways to resolve the inactive status. We are stressing that inactive does not mean ineligible to vote. Casting a ballot this election will automatically help rectify this issue. As a member of this board, I assure you that we will continue to identify why DeKalb is seeing a higher influx of inactive voters. Also, if any DeKalb voter feels they have an ‘inactive’ status incorrectly, call our office so we can work with the Secretary of State to get it resolved.”

For more information on how to contact DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections, click here.

State and local officials aren’t sure what caused the mailing error that affected 38,000 registrations in DeKalb, the most of any county in Georgia, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

“It’s unclear why their mail was returned to sender by the Postal Service — especially when they received the follow-up letter informing them they were now ‘inactive’ voters,” the AJC’s Mark Niesse reported. To read the full story, click here.

Following the publication of the AJC story, the county sent out a press release urging people to check their voter status and reminding them that “inactive” does not mean ineligible to vote in the election.

“Precinct cards were sent out in April,” the press release says. “For voters whose precinct cards were returned by the US Postal Service as ‘not deliverable,’ a Returned Mail Confirmation Notice was subsequently mailed by the Georgia Secretary of State’s vendor, KnowInk, in July 2024. Under Georgia law, recipients must return this confirmation notice within 30 days to retain their active voter registration status. Failure to do so results in the voter being classified as ‘inactive’ until they update their voter registration online, contact DeKalb VRE, or vote in an election.”

Here’s the full press release:

DECATUR, Ga.—DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections (DeKalb VRE) encourages residents to verify their voter status and make a plan to vote for the upcoming election. This call to action comes in response to an increase in voters’ registration statuses being classified as “inactive” following a recent countywide mailing of precinct cards to all registered voters.

Precinct cards were sent out in April. For voters whose precinct cards were returned by the US Postal Service as “not deliverable,” a Returned Mail Confirmation Notice was subsequently mailed by the Georgia Secretary of State’s vendor, KnowInk, in July 2024. Under Georgia law, recipients must return this confirmation notice within 30 days to retain their active voter registration status. Failure to do so results in the voter being classified as “inactive” until they update their voter registration online, contact DeKalb VRE, or vote in an election.

“We understand that seeing an ‘inactive’ voter registration status can be confusing and alarming,” said Keisha Smith, executive director of DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections. “However, I want to assure voters that an ‘inactive’ status does not mean they are ineligible to vote in this election. We appreciate our residents’ diligence in checking their voter registration status and swiftly addressing any issues.”

Voters can return to an active voter status by visiting the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page, contacting DeKalb VRE directly at 404-298-4020, or casting a ballot in the upcoming election. Election officials urge any voter who believes they were classified as inactive in error to contact the VRE office immediately.

“DeKalb VRE is committed to ensuring all DeKalb County voters are aware of these notices and know how to maintain their active voter status,” Smith added. “While our office is not responsible for changes in voter status, we are here to help resolve any issues. We are actively processing updates to voter registrations that are received by VRE, and we encourage any resident with concerns about their voter registration status to reach out so we can coordinate with the Secretary of State to correct any discrepancies.”

Residents can address this issue by following the steps outlined below. For more information, visit www.DeKalbVotes.com.

How to Change an Inactive Voter Registration Status to Active:

— Visit the Georgia My Voter Page: https://mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/

— Contact DeKalb VRE for additional instructions: 404-298-4020

— Cast a ballot in the upcoming election (bring proper ID)

For any additional questions, voter updates and reminders, visit www.DeKalbVotes.com or call DeKalb County Voter Registration and Elections at (404) 298-4020.

This story was provided by WABE content partner Decaturish.