DeKalb County, Georgia, has enlisted the help of first responders to secure the chain of custody of ballots on Election Day after deep “mistrust” from both Republicans and Democrats about election security arose following the 2020 election.
DeKalb, which voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, has 191 election night precincts and is the fourth-largest county by population in the Peach State.
In the past, “after closing out the precinct, a poll manager and deputy poll manager would drive with SD cards containing the votes to the DeKalb County voter registration and elections office, which is headquarters, where votes would be tabulated,” Chairwoman of the DeKalb County Republican Party Marci McCarthy explained to The Federalist. “The SD cards and other election materials were then checked in, processed and uploaded at headquarters. There used to be about 10 different check in stations filling the hallway.”
But the system was vulnerable to potential ballot chain-of-custody issues, McCarthy said. At the time, she questioned why the deputy poll managers and managers were “separated in two vehicles” and “Who is carrying the memory cards and critical information, the votes, if they’re in two different vehicles?”
The program enlists the help of police officers, firefighters, clerks, and other first responders to help securely transport SD cards to the DeKalb County voter registration and elections office. A DeKalb County document reviewed by The Federalist confirmed the program’s implementation.
“Now, the deputized election night runners come into DeKalb County voter registration and elections office to bring in the SD cards in parallel with the poll workers closing out the precinct,” McCarthy said.
To ensure the SD cards are not tampered with, the cards are placed inside banker bags prior to leaving the polling location, according to McCarthy. These bags are then placed inside a pelican case that is secured via a combination lock. First responders are not given the lock code, McCarthy said.
The “election night runners” then transport the SD card to headquarters, where they are checked in to ensure the SD card matches the correct serial numbers.
“After the check-in procedure, if everything matches, [the director or deputy director] takes the SD card, which is placed in a clear container, along with the first responder, to a tabulation room that is a complete storefront, everyone can see what’s happening,” McCarthy said. “The SD card and its data is then uploaded into the state’s system for tabulation.”
The process was introduced following what McCarthy described as mutual “distrust” from both Democrats and Republicans about election security.
“We may not have the same ideology and political beliefs but we all want to work together to have meaningful elections that can be trusted with the outcomes,” McCarthy said.
DeKalb County Democratic Committee Chairwoman Brandi Wyche said the program makes “election night more efficient” in a statement to The Federalist.
“We’ve been able to see the election night runners in action for both the primary and run-off elections so far this year. DeKalb is a large county and the runner initiative has reduced the time it takes for the results from in-person voting to be returned to the office. We’re happy to see the DeKalb Office of Voter Registration and Elections implement programs that make election night more efficient,” Wyche said.
DeKalb County Deputy Director of Communications and Public Affairs Tonza Storm Clark told The Federalist county employees volunteering as election night runners operate in a “civilian capacity and not as part of their county employment.” County employees who wish to partake in the program are “deputized as required by Georgia Law to handle official elections related materials” and must “undergo specialized training prior to serving in this official capacity,” Clark explained.
This article has been updated since publication.
