Navigating our New Normal When It Comes to Voting

Just the other day I asked a colleague about a mutual friend of ours who had been in the hospital. As he updated me on her condition, he shared with me a story that all of us who are voters should be concerned about.

Following the Georgia Secretary of State’s announcement that he was mailing absentee ballot request forms to all voters so that they could exercise their right to vote without leaving their homes during the coronavirus pandemic, my friend realized that she never received hers. When she called to inquire about it, she was told that she had been removed from the voter rolls. Viewing herself as a frequent voter - someone who had voted during each election cycle – she was upset and found her removal from the voter rolls to be quite disturbing.

You should know that Georgia will remove voters who are inactive, those who do not update their registration, and those who fail to respond to mailings from the county elections office. My friend was an active voter who did not fall into any of those categories. This was an eye opener for me.

Although I was not directly affected by what happened to my friend, I was disturbed to hear her story. I wondered if there are other voters who have been removed from the voter rolls and simply do not know that they have been. I am not one to jump to conspiracy theories and prefer to go to the source, so if you have not received your absentee ballot request form in the mail, contact the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office or the Cobb Board of Elections today to find out why.

I received my application, completed it the same day I received it, and quickly placed it back in the mail. Because I like tradition, for a moment I pondered about voting absentee because I have always voted in person. I am one of those folks that likes to go to the polls on election day, push the button for each of my candidates, and make my way through the rest of my day proudly displaying my “I Voted” sticker on my jacket. The coronavirus has quickly changed my attitude about that as my major concern now is making sure that I stay safe and healthy as I cast my vote.

No one knows what the status of the coronavirus will be in Georgia in the next 60 days. Now that the primary election has been moved to June 9, 2020, we all must reconsider our style of voting for the next election cycle. The choice is ultimately yours, but absentee voting should be considered because it will allow you to vote safely. The ability to vote absentee is especially important for our elderly voters, the disabled, and those with pre-existing conditions who must avoid large crowds to protect their health.

Cobb Democrats have a whole page dedicated to explaining how to Vote By Mail.

So, regardless of your political leanings, please make sure you are registered to vote and consider voting absentee. More importantly, if you have not received an absentee ballot request form, contact the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office or the Cobb Board of Elections.

How you ultimately choose to vote is your right – absentee, early voting , or voting in person on Primary day (June 9th) – just make sure you exercise your rights and VOTE!

As always, be well and be safe as we Navigate Our New Normal.

Please share this message with your family, friends, neighbors, and especially your places of worship.

#Shelia4Cobb