Keeping you informed
Tracking the effectiveness of how your tax dollars are spent, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported last week that problems with a $2.6 million upgrade in the state’s election software had delayed the delivery of thousands of precinct cards in some counties, including nearly 20,000 meant for Fulton voters. Today’s story reports that most of those cards, which inform voters where to vote, were mailed Monday.
Tens of thousands of metro Atlanta voters won’t find out for another day or two where they’ll vote next week as state and local officials continue to grapple with problems caused by new election software.
On Monday, Fulton County mailed the first of about 24,000 late precinct cards to voters in Atlanta and East Point and plans to mail the rest Tuesday, a week before Election Day. Cobb County mailed 15,000 to 20,000 late cards Monday to voters in Marietta and Kennesaw.
Under state law, the cards should have been mailed by Oct. 7 so local residents would know in plenty of time where they’re supposed to vote in municipal elections Nov. 5. But local elections offices found errors in thousands of cards printed by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office.
Jared Thomas, a spokesman for Secretary of State Brian Kemp, said all counties have now received correct precinct cards.
“There have been some speed bumps,” Thomas said. “But there is nothing at this point that tells us we’re not going to have a smooth Election Day.”
The Secretary of State’s Office prints — and local election offices mail — precinct cards for new voters, those who change addresses and those who have been affected by redistricting. Local election directors say the state’s new election software, ElectioNet, is behind the late voter notices.
They say the software placed some voters in the wrong districts and caused other problems. Cobb and Fulton officials discovered the errors and audited the cards by hand. Election officials in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties also discovered incorrect information on precinct cards before they were printed.
Cobb Elections Director Janine Eveler said the county received corrected cards from the Secretary of State’s Office on Saturday and mailed them Monday.
Fulton Elections Director Richard Barron said the county received new data from the state Saturday and didn’t get the corrected cards until Monday.
“My team worked all day Saturday and again yesterday to make corrections and work with the state on making sure the data is correct,” Barron said.
He said the state agency is “helping us in every way that they can.”
The late Fulton cards affect nine precincts in Atlanta and two in East Point. Barron said most were mailed late Monday, though the county will mail cards Tuesday to voters in three Atlanta precincts.
The late Cobb notices affected two Marietta precincts and five in Kennesaw.
The flawed cards are just the latest problem attributed to the state election software. Questions about the accuracy of voter information led to long lines during last month’s Macon-Bibb County elections, and dozens of voters there cast ballots in the wrong County Commission races.
The Secretary of State’s Office has characterized the miscues as minor and says it’s working to resolve any problems.
About the Author
