August 22, 2020
By:
The DeKalb County Election Commission has announced deadlines and procedures to vote by mail for the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election.
“The process starts with the voter making a request to vote absentee by mail,” said Dennis Stanley, Administrator of Elections. That request can be made in person, by mail, fax or email. The request must include the voter’s signature. A printable request (application) can be found online at www.dekalbelections.com and copies are available at our office.”
In Tennessee, voters must have a legal reason listed in the law to be eligible to vote absentee by mail. Some of the most common legal reasons are voters who are 60 or older and voters who will be out of their counties during the election.
Eligible voters who have a special vulnerability to COVID-19 due to an underlying illness, physical disability, or other health condition and who cannot appear at the polling place on Election Day due to this condition may vote by absentee ballot under the “illness or physical disability” reason. Likewise, eligible voters who are caretakers to individuals with a special vulnerability may vote by absentee ballot under the “caretaker” reason.
Voters should consult trusted guidance from medical experts and use common sense in determining whether they have a special vulnerability. The CDC provides a website with helpful information that voters may wish to consult.
“We have been receiving absentee requests daily since August 5 and some voters may be wondering why they have yet to receive an official ballot,” Stanley continued.
County election commissions will start mailing out ballots in September. Election officials are currently taking steps to finalize the November ballot, including certifying the August election results as well as waiting on both major parties to officially confirm their presidential nominees.
“We will be prepared to send the voter the actual ballot as soon as it is available,” Stanley said. “Once you receive that ballot, vote it and mail it back as soon as possible so it is ready to be counted on Election Day.”
Absentee by-mail ballots must be returned by-mail. This includes the U.S. Postal Service and services like FedEx and UPS. Each state is different when it comes to election law. Tennessee law does not permit voters to turn in their ballots in-person or for the use of drop boxes.
U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced recently the postal service “is ready today to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall” and “we will deliver the nation’s election mail on time and within our well-established service standards.”
For the last information on the Nov. 3 election log onto www.dekalbelections.com or follow the state’s social media channels: Twitter–@SecTreHargett; Facebook—Tennessee Secretary of State; and Instagram–@tnsecofstate.