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Despite efforts to stabilize Fulton County’s elections system in time for Tuesday’s vote, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office is “extremely concerned” at reports of problems at the polls in the county Tuesday morning, according to a spokesman for the office, Jared Thomas.
The issues are not isolated to one location but are scattered throughout Fulton at a level unseen in any other county, Thomas said. The office has fielded four investigators who are “very busy,” he added.
A spokesperson for the county did not immediately respond.
Reports of problems ran the gamut.
“There are lots of reports of folks who registered on time but are not in the system, reports of places that ran out of provisional ballots, reports of not having let people cast provisional ballots,” Thomas said. “Keep in mind, the provisional ballot is the ultimate safety net. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ you can fill it out.”
He stressed, “We’re doing everything we possibly can to communicate that the provisional ballot is the ultimate safety net to cast your ballot, no matter what.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also received reports from residents that machines at county polling places were not working.
A dispute at one county polling place over an address left one voter in tears, though she was later able to vote.
At First United Methodist Church in East Point, Latanya Stubbs, who intended to vote for President Barack Obama, said she was told to go to another location, in College Park, because she had an East Point address on her voter registration card although her driver’s license has a College Park address.
Stubbs said in an interview her license had an old address and she currently lives in East Point. She eventually went to the College Park location.
“They’re trying to throw people off,” she said, before leaving to try again in College Park. “(East Point) is where I voted last time.”
Poll worker Latoya Stephens said Stubbs’ voter registration information in the system showed Stubbs had to vote at the College Park location and that she was given the offer to fill out a provisional ballot.
Thomas of the secretary of state’s office said a voter’s driver’s license does not have to have an updated address, as long as the license has not expired.
Staff writer Jeffry Scott contributed to this article.
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