Fulton County voters can cast early ballots starting Tuesday, Oct. 13, at three locations in Alpharetta and Milton. The 18-day early voting window runs through Friday, Oct. 30, ahead of the Nov. 3 general election.
The opening comes as a letter from the Georgia State Election Board's executive director asking the U.S. Department of Justice to "intervene" in the state's elections has drawn sharp criticism from advocacy groups and congressional Democrats.
Three north Fulton sites are open to any registered voter in the county:
- Alpharetta Branch Library, 10 Park Plaza, Alpharetta (also has an absentee ballot drop box)
- Fulton County Health and Human Services – North, 4700 North Point Parkway, Alpharetta
- Milton Library, 855 Mayfield Road, Milton
Hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Fulton County is offering 32 early voting locations countywide.
The DOJ letter
State Election Board Executive Director James Mills sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sept. 30 requesting DOJ review and "where appropriate, investigation and intervention" in Georgia's voting system, ballot secrecy procedures, election records and voter data sharing.
The letter followed a Sept. 28 board resolution, introduced by board member Carolyn Roddy, that authorized Mills to seek federal help. The resolution passed 3-2.
Board Chairman John Fervier, Gov. Brian Kemp's appointee, and Democratic member Sara Tindall Ghazal voted no. Fervier told Democracy Docket he has "a fundamental issue with the federal government becoming involved in Georgia elections." Ghazal called the move "federal overreach."
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's spokesperson, Robert Sinners, criticized the board members who backed the resolution. As first reported by the Georgia Recorder, Sinners called the request "a day late and at least $30 million dollars short." The legislature never approved the $15 million Raffensperger sought during the 2025 session to update voting machines statewide.
Pushback mounts
On Oct. 6, five congressional Democrats sent a letter to the State Election Board calling Mills' request "a clear attempt to sow public mistrust in the security of American elections." The signers included Georgia Reps. Sanford Bishop, Hank Johnson, Everton Blair Jr. and Nikema Williams, along with Rep. Joseph Morelle of New York, the ranking member of the House Administration Committee.
Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, called the Mills letter "a blank check" to the DOJ. She said she worries officials could be sent to monitor polling places or seize voting machines, the Georgia Recorder reported.
"It is a license for chaos, and that is exactly what those board members were trying to do," Marks said.
The coalition is asking the Georgia General Assembly to urge the board to rescind the Sept. 28 resolution.
Election security assurances
Raffensperger said the November election will be secure. Speaking Oct. 6 at a logic-and-accuracy testing demonstration in Cartersville, he told reporters it "always is," according to Fulton Neighbor.
Logic-and-accuracy testing checks that voting equipment records and counts ballots correctly. Under state law, counties must publicly post testing dates. Residents can observe.
Meanwhile, absentee ballot requests are down sharply. The secretary of state's office reported about 116,000 requests for the 2026 midterm, compared with 285,000 during the 2022 midterm.
Absentee ballot applications must be received by Friday, Oct. 23. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters can check registration and sample ballots at mvp.sos.ga.gov.
