A DeKalb election supervisor complained earlier this month that he believed county government officials conspired to commit fraud during the Nov. 3 election, according to emails obtained Monday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution through Georgia’s Open Records Act.
“Our voting system is not and has not been secure and I believe there has been collusion between the administration, election division, and voter registration division to commit election fraud,” wrote Election Supervisor Leonard Piazza in a Nov. 5 email to Baoky Vu, a member of the DeKalb Board of Registrations and Elections.
His allegations of voting irregularities led Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp and the GBI to open an investigation, which is ongoing.
Piazza didn't elaborate on his suspicions in the email, but Vu said Monday that Piazza became concerned when he found a memory card, which collects all the ballots cast on a voting machine, that hadn't been properly sealed and locked away on Election Day.
DeKalb Election Director Maxine Daniels said she’s confident that all votes were counted, including those on the memory card.
The election included several close races, including the defeat of the proposed city of LaVista Hills by 139 votes.
“I feel we’re going to be exonerated, and there was no fraud or collusion,” Daniels said.
Interim DeKalb CEO Lee May’s administration didn’t interfere with the election, said spokesman Burke Brennan.
“There is absolutely no truth to anything that’s in that email,” Brennan said. “We are committed to fair elections that are free from any outside influence.”
Piazza, who was placed on paid administrative leave Nov. 4 following a conflict with a co-worker, said Monday he didn’t want to discuss the circumstances of the election while the state’s investigation is underway.
“I think it’s best to rely on Secretary Kemp and the investigation he is conducting right now,” Piazza said. “Those concerns were shared with members of his staff.”
Piazza’s emails also said that voters encountered locked doors at several school precincts, including Ashford Park Elementary, Flat Shoals Elementary and Montgomery Elementary.
Piazza instructed election employees to post signs at the schools telling voters to ring a bell for entry.
Georgia law requires voters to have ready access to their precincts, but election officials understand schools’ desire for security, Daniels said Monday. In some cases, poll workers stood at locked doors to let voters in.
Separately, DeKalb election officials acknowledged last week they had initially overlooked 41 provisional ballots across the county. The provisional ballots, which are used when there are questions about a voter's eligibility, were added to vote counts and the elections board re-certified vote totals Nov. 9. The added votes didn't change the winner of any election.
Investigators will review the election’s accuracy, security and procedures, as well as allegations that voters were prevented from participating in the election. The inquiry could lead to fines or prosecutions, but it won’t change the results of the election.
LaVista Hills Alliance, a pro-cityhood group, announced Thursday that it wouldn't challenge the election's outcome in court, but the group turned over information about irregularities to state authorities.
Vu, the elections board member whom Piazza emailed, said he listened to Piazza’s concerns and believes the election was fair.
“Our job is to make sure that we get to the bottom of it and not give any impression that it’s fraud one way or another,” Vu said. “We all have a right to know that this process is safe and secure.”
The county also conducted recounts Friday of city council races in Doraville and Lithonia. The recount showed identical results of those elections, Daniels said.
Kemp’s office didn’t respond to a phone message and email Monday seeking comment about the progress of the investigation.
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