Fulton County chairman pushes for alternatives for mail-in voting
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts wants absentee ballot boxes at common, popular stores such as CVS and Kroger.
There’s a lot of talk about voting by mail as of late.
The United States Postal Service just announced concerns about their ability to handle a large volume of absentee ballots during the pandemic for November’s General Election. Georgia is one of 40 states affected by this issue.
Chairman Pitts said he is determined to find alternatives for even the most notorious procrastinators to vote.
"It’s unrealistic to think if you drop your ballot in the mail on a Friday which is the last day that it’ll be received by Tuesday. Some will," he said. "Some will not."
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To make sure voices are heard—and prevent the headache Fulton County voters experienced during the June elections--Chairman Pitts pushed for secure drop-off boxes at public libraries and he said those boxes were a success.
"Given that and given the fact the November election is expected to be unprecedented, that was my goal to come up with an advertising campaign to have people either vote early or by absentee ballot," he told FOX5's Alex Whittler.
Pitts proposes absentee drop-off boxes at four well-known establishments: CVS, Walgreens, Publix, and Kroger.
"If you’re not happy with the postal service, then here you have another option within your community," he said.
That is so long as the state board of elections approves the proposal. Chairman Pitts said he’s confident the board will move forward with the idea.
Pitts said he’s also communicating with the postmaster to ensure those who choose to vote by mail will see their votes tallied in time.
"My goal is to make voting a pleasant experience for our citizens," he said.
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Chairman Pitts said he’s drafted a letter, detailing this plan to the state election board and is willing to make an appeal at the board’s meeting next week.
Also next week, Pitts plans to discuss the possibility of placing absentee ballots at CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, and Publix in other counties in the Atlanta metro with surrounding county leaders.