A few days ago, I noted a problem with the absentee and early voting in Bibb County. I wrote the Elections Board on May 26. The Elections Board met on May 28 and on May 29, Chairman Kaplan provided a response and regrets for the error.
In short, 554 incorrect absentee ballots were sent to voters in Hazzard 4 Precinct with 117 of those completed and mailed back. In addition, 7 voters from Hazzard 4 cast incorrect ballots in early voting.
The early votes cannot be corrected as they have been cast. Bibb County is making an effort to allow the affected voters who received absentee ballots to request corrected ballots.
My letter to the Board and the explanation is below.
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Don Cole for Congress, Inc.
P.O. Box 1186
Cordele, GA 31015
May 26, 2020
Bibb County Board of Elections
2525 Pio Nono Avenue, Suite 1200
Macon, Georgia 31206
Dear Board Members,
On May 18, you discovered that 289 ballots for the 8th Congressional District Republican Primary were incorrectly mailed to citizens of the 2nd Congressional District in Hazzard 4 Precinct. In addition, 7 voters from the 2nd District voted in person and incorrectly received and cast 8th District ballots.
Sadly, I had to learn of the serious error through news and social media. This is the type of issue that undermines faith and trust in our elections process. It did not occur in a vacuum. It is a systemic matter.
The error demands a bright light shining on the process, not to cast blame or create unwarranted conspiracy theories. It demands attention with the goal of excellence. The people deserve it.
I have three requests regarding this, and any future incidents:
- Communicate with the Candidates and Party Leadership
- Prepare Specific Documented Procedures for Handling of the incorrect Ballots from Hazzard 4
- Prepare a report that clearly and specifically identifies what, when, how, and why it happened, who was involved, and what can be improved to reduce future errors.
The Secretary of State’s office stated that these types of “errors occur in every election in every jurisdiction in the country.” Just because this happens in some places does not mean that we must accept it as normal for us. It should and must be unacceptable.
I urge you to reject such an outrageous notion of mediocrity. This mistake is your opportunity to demand excellence.
I am running for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District because I am sick of mediocrity and low expectations. The people of the 2nd District have suffered under representation that not only accepts but promotes policies that are built upon the foundation of such a crippling mindset.
Discover, learn, and apply the lessons learned from this mistake. Make Bibb County a positive example of first-class service and pride for the citizens of Bibb County and the State of Georgia. I know that is your desire. It is mine too.
Sincerely,
Donald E. Cole, Republican Candidate
US House of Representatives
2nd District of Georgia
cc: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
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Response from Bibb County
May 29, 2020
Dear Candidate Cole:
I am writing you, as a candidate for United States congressional district 2 or 8, regarding an error with the ballots in the Macon-Bibb County Hazzard 4 voting precinct. You are undoubtedly already aware of this error. In the rush to notify voters and fix the problem, we neglected to notify the candidates.
At approximately 2:15 p.m. on the first day of early voting, it came to the attention of the Macon-Bibb County elections Supervisor that every voter in the Hazzard 4 precinct had been placed in congressional district 8. Hazzard 4 is split between congressional districts 2 and 8. The result was voters who reside in district 2 were placed in district 8.
554 voters were mailed absentee ballots containing the district 8 race who should have received ballots containing the district 2 race. Of these 554 ballots, 117 have been returned to the Board of Elections. All 554 absentee voters have been notified of the problem and asked if they would like to request a new ballot. Each such voter was provided with an absentee ballot application and a postage-paid return addressed envelope.
Unfortunately, 7 affected voters had voted in-person at the time the error was discovered. These votes cannot be changed, which is regrettable. This means 7 voters casted votes in district 8 who should have been allowed to vote in district 2.
The issue with the early voting was corrected immediately. All ballots as of the second day of early voting were correct. If an affected absentee voter does not request a new ballot, then his or her vote will not be counted in district 8.
The Board truly regrets that this error occurred, and we will make every effort to be transparent with you regarding the number of possible votes affected. Please do not hesitate to contact the Board office if you have questions or if you would like additional information.
Yours truly,
Mike Kaplan, Chair
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I appreciate the response from the Election Board. We still need to know how this happened and what measures are in place to assure accurate and fair elections.
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