Cobb County, Georgia – Election officials in Cobb County have been forced to spring into action after a processing error resulted in 73 absentee-by-mail (ABM) voters receiving the incorrect ballots. The error, identified after a vigilant couple raised the alarm during advance voting on Monday, has put the spotlight on the county’s electoral process as it scrambles to rectify the mistake ahead of critical voting deadlines.
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According to a press release from the county’s election authorities, the mix-up occurred when a batch of ballots mailed out last Friday contained only Republican ballots, sidelining Democratic voters who were meant to receive their voting materials. Out of the 194 ballots dispatched on February 23, 75 were erroneously identified as Republican ballots when they should have been Democratic.
Correct ballots expected to be sent to voters on Tuesday
The response from Cobb County’s election team was swift. Upon verification of the error, the 75 incorrectly issued ABM ballots were immediately canceled. The county’s election workers are currently in the midst of contacting the 73 affected voters to inform them of the mistake, with assurances that the correct ballots will be mailed out on Tuesday.
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Tate Fall, the Director of Elections for Cobb County, expressed relief that the error was caught early in the process.
“We are happy this situation was found quickly. Our staff was able to pinpoint the issue, identify those who received the wrong ballot, and determine how to correct it. We believe this processing error only impacted ballots issued on Friday, February 23rd,” Fall said.
The county has made it clear that it is taking this mishap seriously and is dedicated to ensuring that all voters have the correct materials to cast their votes. Cobb County has extended an invitation to any voter with concerns or questions about this incident, or any other election-related issues, to reach out to the Cobb County Elections and Registration office directly. Voters can contact the office by phone at 770-528-2581 or via email at [email protected] for assistance.