Politics

Thousands who don't live in 6th district show up to vote, are turned away

ATLANTA — DeKalb County's elections office was crowded with people aiming to vote Tuesday but were told they couldn't.

The people learned that they did not live in the 6th Congressional District. The same thing happened during the primary back on April 18.

Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen was there as an estimated few thousand voters wanted to cast ballots but had to be turned away because they live outside the district.

Not as many people as in April, but the same thing happened Tuesday.

The 6th District congressional race has left some voters searching for answers.

"I don't know! It's really confusing. I just don't know," DeKalb County voter Patricia Beasley said as she was turned away.

For most of the special Election Day, a steady stream of DeKalb County residents went in and out of the county elections office in Decatur without any issues.

Most people had already learned they did not live in District 6 so they could not vote.

But for a few voters, it was a repeat of what happened during the primary.

"If you knew from the last time you weren't eligible, you wouldn't come back because you're still not eligible. Although we have had a few who came out a second time. They said, 'I came out last time but I wanted to check.' Still the same," elections director Maxine Daniels told Petersen.

Roosevelt Meeks was one of those people.

"Same thing happened. They told me I couldn't vote because I wasn't in the particular district that was voting," Meeks said.

During the primary, elections officials put together a civics and geography lesson to clear up the confusion and the class was back in session Tuesday.

But some residents were still upset that they were not allowed to vote.

"And that's why I'm personally mad, and mad on behalf of my people right here. Because we all live in DeKalb County. We all pay taxes," Beasley told Petersen.

But as elections officials have explained, part of DeKalb County is in District 6, but not all of it.