The Athens-Clarke County elections department distributed a second absentee ballot to 1,154 registered voters for the November 3 general election.
The first group of mail-in ballots were sent out on Monday through a state-authorized print vendor. The elections department was alerted on Wednesday that two absentee ballots were received by some Athens-Clarke County voters.
The issue was the mailing list provided to the printer included addresses that were on an earlier list, too.
The elections department is now asking voters who received a second ballot to only complete and mail in one of the ballots. Voters should either shred the extra ballot or bring it blank to 155 East Washington Street.
ACCGov Elections Department director Pam Long understands the concern of voters after receiving multiple ballots but ensures that the election will still be secure.
“We understand that receiving two absentee ballots can be concerning to voters,” Long said in a statement. “We want our community to know that we identified the issue, are tracking the affected ballots, and have procedures in place to ensure that each eligible voter has only one ballot accepted. We remain committed to transparency and to maintaining the accuracy, security, and integrity of our elections.”
ACCGov Elections Department staff informed the Georgia Secretary of State’s office of the error, and they accepted Athens-Clarke County's response.
For more information on Athens elections and mail-in ballots, go to accgov.com/elections.
