On Thursday, March 18, at 7 p.m., election officials from four different counties in Georgia will come together to give a behind-the-scenes look into what it’s like to ensure the security and efficiency of a large-scale election. Members of the Board of Elections from DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Lowndes counties will be present for the hour-long event, hosted by the Student Government Association’s government relations committee.

The panel comes after Georgia spent much of the fall and winter in the national spotlight for the November general election and January runoff. Election officials across the state dealt with unprecedentedly high turnout, including a huge increase in the number of absentee and early votes cast, all in the midst of the pandemic. Thursday’s event will allow panelists to discuss what such an experience was like and how to encourage future voter engagement.

The panel will also discuss proposed voting legislation in Georgia. Several pieces of legislation are currently being debated in the Georgia General Assembly that could change anything from identification requirements for absentee ballots to allowing same-day voter registration. Panelists span both major political parties and will be able to give their opinions about how such changes could affect their work, as well as the voting process.

The event will be streamed live on BlueJeans Events and will be moderated by members of the government relations committee.