Gwinnett County reaches deal to help voters affected by delayed absentee ballots

Gwinnett County has agreed to contact voters who have not received or returned their absentee ballots after delays raised concerns ahead of Tuesday’s election.

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The agreement comes after the Southern Poverty Law Center, Legal Defense Fund, ACLU and ACLU of Georgia filed an emergency lawsuit on behalf of nearly 2,000 Gwinnett County voters.

The civil rights groups alleged the voters did not receive their requested absentee ballots in time, leaving them at risk of being unable to vote in the Nov. 3 election.

Under the settlement reached Saturday, Gwinnett County will individually contact voters who have not returned their ballots and let them know they can request a replacement.

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Replacement ballots will be sent overnight, and the county will cover the cost of return postage, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The agreement follows a similar deal reached Friday with DeKalb County, which will also contact affected voters and provide the same replacement ballot process.

The original lawsuit said the delays primarily affected ballots issued after Oct. 6 and extended into Cobb and DeKalb counties, with approximately 10,000 voters impacted across the three counties.

The groups initially asked a court to require counties to send replacement ballots by overnight mail and provide prepaid return postage.

The settlement agreements are intended to give affected voters an opportunity to complete and return their ballots in time to be counted.

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