Atlanta officials release how they will review a petition calling for a referendum on ‘Cop City’

The Gist: Atlanta officials have released a transparent, four-stage blueprint to authenticate signatures for the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center’s petition. Petitioners are calling for a referendum on the controversial site.

What Happened?: Petitioners seeking a referendum on the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, also known as “Cop City,” have collected a plethora of signatures. To ensure every signature is legitimate and the process is watertight, the city has shared the process it uses to verify petitions.

Process Breakdown:

1. Petition Intake: Upon receiving the petition, officials will count boxes with signature pages, seal them in front of petitioners, and safeguard them in a vault within the Clerk’s office.
2. Scanning/Processing: The seal will be broken and each page scanned to make a digital copy. Every page, given the non-sequential nature of their unique numbers, will be tagged with an individual identifier. Electronic images of these pages will be shared with petitioners and the media, while the public can request a copy online. Also, an online searchable database will be set up.
3. Review/Verification: Two core objectives here. Firstly, ascertain that the information aligns with an actual Atlanta voter. Secondly, validate the authenticity of the signatures, all done manually with the state voter registration database in view. Unverified lines will be meticulously documented.
4. Additional Public Comment/Inquiries: After completion, the submitted pages will be open for public access under the Georgia Open Records Act.

Why It Matters: The Atlanta Public Safety Training Center is a hot topic, and this transparent, step-by-step verification could sway public sentiment. It’s not just about numbers but also about ensuring that the democratic process is unadulterated.

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