Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Voter Registration Data Issue topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Spalding elections office reports signature data glitch affecting at least 227 voter records
Summary
Elections staff reported a system data error that produced incorrect signatures on some voter registration records; staff logged an incident with the Secretary of State and said 227 voters have been affected to date.
Sandra Hardy, the voter registration coordinator for Spalding County, reported to the board on Aug. 5 that total registered voters in the county were 54,773 as of 8 a.m. that day and provided a breakdown of recent registration activity. Hardy told the board the office processed 1,548 Department of Driver Services voter applications, 13 online registrations, 34 My Voter Page applications, 87 walk-ins or mailed-in applications, 25 vital-records registrations, zero felons processed and four cancellation requests during the July 22–Aug. 4 review period. She reported 251 new voters, 301 transfers into the county, 284 address changes, 67 name changes and 766 updates with no changes via DDS. Hardy also reported the office identified a data issue that altered signatures on voter records. “We did a [ticket] on that, and it's affected 227 voters to date. It has not yet been resolved, but it's calendared to be reviewed in 14 days,” she said. When a board member asked how the office determines a signature mismatch, Hardy described a split-screen review comparing the signature on file with the new application and said the differences were clearly evident. Kim Slaughter, elections director, characterized the problem as a system data glitch and said the office reported the issue to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Elections Division for resolution. Hardy also reported the office processed 568 returned mail pieces from the NCOA/maintenance mailing, and filed one incident report regarding incorrect signatures in the election system. The board did not take formal action on the report; staff said they will monitor the Secretary of State review and update the board once the issue is resolved. The report included logistics items: upcoming qualifying dates for local municipal seats, reminders about absentee application rules for elderly and disabled voters for special elections, and staffing updates regarding finalist candidates for an election assistant position.
