Cobb County sends out incorrect absentee ballots, acts to correct mistakes

Against the backdrop of a scrutinized elections process, Cobb County Elections and Registration recently faced an issue where 75 incorrect absentee ballots were sent out during the presidential preference primary.

The concern over the reliability of the elections process has been heightened by this incident, which was brought to attention when a couple reported receiving incorrect ballots. The elections department swiftly responded to the report, discovering that all 194 ballots mailed on a particular Friday were Republican ballots, with 75 of them intended to be Democratic ballots.

The elections staff canceled the incorrect ballots and will be mailing the correct Democratic ballots to the affected voters in the coming week. Despite the unsettling nature of the error, its identification occurred swiftly, allowing for corrective measures to be implemented before the conclusion of the primary election.

Tate Fall, the Elections Director, expressed satisfaction with the expeditious resolution, stating, “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.” The elections department will be reaching out to the affected voters proactively to communicate the error.

This incident follows a series of challenges faced by the Cobb County Elections Department in 2022, including the failure to mail over 1,000 absentee ballots, redistricting coding errors resulting in voters receiving the wrong ballot, and a lost memory card impacting the results of a Kennesaw City Council race. As part of ongoing efforts to address these issues, Tate Fall, who assumed the role of Elections Director in December, plans to enhance the department’s processes using technology and other means to meticulously track absentee ballots throughout the process. The overarching goal is to improve the accuracy and reliability of future elections.