A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was sent to the Dawson County Election Department on October 29, 2024. The request, filed by Georgia Mountain News, a media organization committed to providing comprehensive and accurate news coverage on local governmental affairs, sought details about the methods used by the department for counting votes in the upcoming elections.
The specific information requested included whether the vote counting process would be manual or automated. If manual counting was to be employed, Georgia Mountain News also asked for an estimated number of people who would be working on election night.
As a media organization, we at Georgia Mountain News believe that access to public records is crucial for fulfilling our professional responsibilities. These include holding public institutions accountable and providing transparency to the public. Given our role in disseminating information, we have also requested a fee waiver as a media professional under the Georgia Open Records Act § 50.18.70 et seq.
We await a response from the Dawson County Election Department and will continue our efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in our local government’s electoral processes.
