A DeKalb County temporary elections employee has tested positive for COVID-19, shutting down the elections office and forcing officials to seek a delay in certifying results from the June 9 primary. 

The part-time worker started on June 11 and tested positive Thursday, June 18. DeKalb's health board is recommending a two-week quarantine for all who work in the office and came into contact with the employee.

DeKalb County's election board is asking the secretary of state's office to postpone their Friday deadline for certifying election results, as there are still more ballots that need to be adjudicated and counted.

But the state says legally, there's nothing they can do to help.

“There is not a mechanism for the Secretary of State’s office to give DeKalb County permission to miss their certification deadline," said Gabriel Sterling with the secretary of state's office. "However, after speaking with their elections supervisor and their county attorney, it sounds like they are handling an extremely difficult situation well. They intend to certify their results as soon as possible. We wish the worker who has COVID-19 a quick and full recovery.”

About 100,000 voters in the county returned absentee ballots, and 180,000 voted in the primaries for U.S. Senate. 

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