Absentee Ballot Requests up in DeKalb County

July 15, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

In a typical August election in a presidential year, not many people vote by mail-in ballot.

In August 2016, a total of 2,525 voted in DeKalb County including 1,402 on election day, 50 mailed absentee ballots, and 1,073 early voters.

The DeKalb County Election Commission has seen an increase in requests for absentee ballots this year especially for an August election.

As of today (Wednesday, July 15) 174 ballots are in the mail to those who have requested and are eligible to vote absentee in August and that number is expected to grow due to COVID-19 concerns. The deadline for requesting an absentee ballot for this election is July 30.

“We were warned by our state office that absentee voting would increase and it has done that. Absentee ballots can be applied for until July 30 but based on mail delivery it is always best for people to apply as early as possible. Voted absentee ballots must be returned by mail, not hand delivered to the election commission, and received by August 6 for them to be counted on election day,” said Administrator of Elections Dennis Stanley.

According to the state election laws, registered voters must cast ballots in person on election day or during the early voting period unless they meet the requirements for absentee voting which include the following:

*You will be outside the county where you are registering during the early voting period and all day on election day.

*You or your spouse are a full-time student in an accredited college or university outside the county where you are registered.

*You are on the permanent absentee list

*You reside in a nursing home, assisted living facility or home for the aged outside your county of residence.

*You will be unable to vote in-person due to jury duty

*You are 60 years of age or older.

*You have a physical disability and an inaccessible polling place

*You are hospitalized, ill or physically disabled and unable to appear at your polling place to vote; and/or you have determined it is impossible or unreasonable to vote in-person due to the COVID-19 situation.

*You are the caretaker of a person who is hospitalized, ill or disabled, and/or you have determined it is impossible or unreasonable to vote in-person due to the COVID-19 situation

*You are a candidate for office in the election

*You serve as an election day official or as a member or employee of the election commission

*You are observing a religious holiday that prevents you from voting in person during the early voting period and on election day

*You or your spouse possess a valid commercial drivers license or Transportation Worker Identification Credential card and you will be working outside the state or county of registration during the open hours of early voting and election day and have no specific out of county or out of state address to which mail may be sent or received during such time.

*You are a member of the military or are an overseas citizen.

A registered voter may request a by-mail ballot either in person at the DeKalb County Election Commission Office or by mail, fax and email. If requested by mail, fax, or email, the request must include the voter’s signature. In addition, the request must include the following eight items:

*The name of the registered voter

*The address of the voter’s residence

*The voter’s date of birth

*The voter’s Social Security number

*The address to mail the ballot outside the county (this applies only when the reason for voting by mail involves that the voter will be outside of the county during early voting and on election day)

*The election the voter wishes to participate in. If the election involves a Primary, the political party in which the voter wishes to participate.

*The reason the voter wishes to vote absentee

*The voter’s signature. (If the voter is unable to sign his/her name, contact the election commission office for details at 615-597-4146.

A request that contains this information will be treated and processed as an application for ballot, and a ballot will be mailed to the voter.

July 15, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

DeKalb County voters will see some COVID-19 related changes during early voting and on election day.

“Policies and procedures have been put in place by the election commission to ensure the safety of our workers and voters due to COVID-19,” said Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections, and Walteen Parker, Chairman of the DeKalb County Election Commission.

“Masks, face shields, gloves and sneeze guards will be provided the election workers,” according to Stanley and Parker, and voters are encouraged to do their part. This includes wearing a face covering and maintaining a six-foot distance from poll officials and others. Voters should expect to see signs with further safety instructions at their polling locations. All poll officials have been instructed to wear face coverings and have been trained to take appropriate protective measures.

Early voting begins Friday, July 17 through Saturday, August 1 in the first floor courtroom of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Hours for early voting are Mondays 1-5 p.m.; Tuesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Thursdays 2-6 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Election day voting at all 15 precincts will be from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 6.

“Policies are in place to cut down on items being touched by multiple people,” said Stanley. “In addition, hand sanitizer, soap and paper towels will be provided the workers at every precinct.”

For example, “Voters will be asked, via personnel or signage, to pick up a pen that they can keep with them through the entire process,” said Chairman Parker. “Those pens can be used to sign in and used at the voting machine (as a stylus). They can keep the pen and take it home with them, but if they choose not to, we will have a box they can drop it into and the pen can be properly cleaned and used again.”

In addition, Stanley said “a very limited number of gloves, masks and faceshields will be available to voters who want to use them. The gloves can also be used at the voting machines (and Q-tips may also be available as a stylus.)

“We are really concerned about protecting our election workers because they will be exposed to all voters who come into the facilities,” added Parker. It is important that voters read and observe the instructions on signs or relayed verbally to them by an election official. This will make the process smoother and safer for everyone.”

“Early voting provides voters the opportunity to avoid election-day crowds,” said Stanley. “Early voting also offers the flexibility of late afternoon and Saturday morning hours.”

DeKalb County voters can find early voting and Election Day polling locations, view and mark sample ballots and much more with the GoVoteTN app or online at GoVoteTN.com. You can download the GoVoteTN app for free in the App Store or Google Play. Reviewing your sample ballot and deciding how you will vote will reduce your time at the polls.

Voters who have moved within DeKalb County or have had a name change since the last time they voted can update their registration online at GoVoteTN.com. By making sure your registration is up to date, you can shorten the time you will need to spend at your polling location.

Anyone voting early or on Election Day should remember to bring valid photo identification with them to the polls. A driver’s license or photo ID issued by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, by Tennessee state government or by the federal government are acceptable even if they are expired. College student IDs are not acceptable. More information about what types of ID are acceptable can be found on GoVoteTN.com.

For more information about early voting in DeKalb County call 615-597-4146 or visit www.dekalbelections.com.

(Click link below to view ballot)
Ballot

Local voters will make their choice in one contested county-wide election, one contested school board race, a contested Smithville Municipal Election and in the state Republican or Democratic primaries. There are uncontested races for constable, another school board seat, the mayor and two aldermen in Dowelltown and for aldermen seats in Alexandria. In addition, there is an uncontested race for Criminal Court Judge Part II District 13.

July 15, 2020
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County School District is offering a “Parent Digital University” for those with children in the school system.

Parents are urged to view the videos below (available in English and Spanish) to better educate themselves on the use of the digital educational platform being offered by the school district in preparation for remote learning from home .The videos will equip you with the tools necessary to help make your child successful in the DeKalb County School System.

(Video below in English)

(Video below in Spanish)

Although plans are for a traditional reopening of DeKalb County schools with students attending on campus August 3 parents may opt for remote learning from home for their children. Parents are asked to contact their child’s school weekdays from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. prior to July 22 if they want their child to participate in remote learning.

Unlike this past school year, the school district will use the same digital platform for all grade levels and parents should be prepared to understand how to make use of it and to practice its operation with their children.

Director Patrick Cripps has announced that all DeKalb County students in grades K-12 (almost 3,000) will be provided a chromebook (computer) for the 2020-2021 academic school year for use in the classrooms and at home.

“Every student in the school system will get a 1:1 device (computer) to take home. We will expect our teachers to not only communicate with our parents digitally but be prepared to assign lessons through the Edgenuity platform,” said Cripps.

Providing all students in kindergarten to 12th grade a Chromebook is new. High school students were the first to be assigned chromebooks three years ago for use at school and home. A year later 6th to 8th graders were provided chrome books and this past year 3rd to 5th graders got 1:1 devices although they (elementary and middle school students) could not take them home.

Chromebooks are returned at the end of each school year but students are reassigned the same devices the following year. High school seniors return their devices upon graduation and those are either replaced or recycled back into the system for other students to use.

WJLE will be hosting a LIVE Call-In program Thursday morning, July 16 starting at 8:30 a.m. featuring Director of Schools Patrick Cripps and Attendance Supervisor Joey Reeder to discuss the plans for re-opening DeKalb County Schools on Monday, August 3.

Listeners may phone in their questions to Cripps and Reeder at 615-597-4265. The program will be broadcast LIVE on WJLE AM 1480/WJLE FM 101.7 and LIVE stream at www.wjle.com.

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