Fayette to add ballot deposit boxes for November election

Fayette County voters will have an additional resource for submitting their ballots for the November election. The Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 (with Eric Maxwell opposing) at a called meeting on Aug. 31 to allow three ballot deposit boxes to be installed near regular polling places. The board agreed to fund the boxes and their related equipment at a cost not to exceed $10,000, and will pursue federal reimbursement for some of that cost if available.

The county’s Board of Elections requested the boxes to allow citizens concerned about coronavirus exposure and/or U.S. mail service to get their absentee ballots in on time. BOE member Darryl Hicks said the boxes will be secured to the ground and monitored by surveillance cameras. They will be placed at the county administrative complex in Fayetteville, City Hall in Peachtree City and the Tyrone library.

The boxes will be available for use as soon as they are received and installed, which Hicks said would likely be in mid-October. The boxes would then be locked at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 when the regular polls close.