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Investigation of DeKalb election problems stalled

Investigators take a voting machine and a desktop computer from the DeKalb County elections office on Nov. 5, 2015. Ben Gray / bgray@ajc.com
Investigators take a voting machine and a desktop computer from the DeKalb County elections office on Nov. 5, 2015. Ben Gray / bgray@ajc.com
By Mark Niesse
Jan 6, 2017

An investigation into allegations of DeKalb County voting irregularities remains unresolved, 14 months after it was launched.

In the meantime, residents are waiting for answers after an elections employee alleged voting materials were mishandled and voters were turned away from the polls.

The election on Nov. 3, 2015, included a tight referendum on cityhood for LaVista Hills, but a voting machine seized by state agents came from a Dunwoody precinct. The LaVista Hills incorporation effort was defeated by 139 votes.

The delay in the investigation is caused by a dispute between the Georgia Secretary of State's Office and a DeKalb judge. State officials have asked for election materials to be turned over, but Superior Court Judge Tangela Barrie has said they need to go through an official legal process.

Please read the full story on MyAJC.com.

About the Author

Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.

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