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Cobb County elections staff schedule provisional-ballot duplication, set risk‑limiting audit; board approves agenda
Summary
At a brief precertification meeting, Cobb County elections staff said no ballots required adjudication, scheduled provisional‑ballot duplication at 4:30 p.m., and set a county risk‑limiting audit for July 24; the board unanimously approved the meeting agenda 4–0.
The Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration met for a brief precertification session at 3:01 p.m. in the BOC Room at 100 Cherokee Street, where election staff said no ballots required adjudication, scheduled duplication of provisional ballots at 4:30 p.m., and set a county risk‑limiting audit for Thursday, July 24, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The meeting matters because duplication of provisional ballots and the risk‑limiting audit are steps toward final certification of the runoff election results and provide observers and parties an opportunity to verify the count before certification.
Director Powell told the board that there were no ballots requiring adjudication that day: “We don't have any ballots to review for adjudication, either ABM or provisional ballots today.” Powell said 28 provisional ballots had been noted, with two still pending cure and 27 of the 28 requiring duplication because the ballots were cast out of precinct; duplication was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m., after which the duplicated ballots would be scanned to produce the final results presented at the certification meeting.
Powell also outlined the county's risk‑limiting audit plan: “Our risk limiting audit is going to be Thursday, July 24, so next Thursday from 9 to 5. Here at our office, we'll do 8 teams. So the Democratic Party can designate 8, official observers for that, but, of course, there's still gonna be a public viewing area for anyone else that wants to come and observe.”
Staff presented vote totals and a reconciliation explanation. Election‑day ballots were reported as 7,633; advance voting 2,413; and absentee‑by‑mail (ABM) 116, which staff said sum to 10,162 and that Jarvis voter credit tied one‑for‑one to those ballots. Staff then explained discrepancies between electronic poll lists (ePolls) and printed records that produced a different combined figure of 10,044 for some lists: an unintended canceled check‑in at the Mableton 3B precinct caused one election‑day ePolls list to be short by one because staff reprinted a voter certificate rather than using the reprint/cancel workflow, and one supplemental voter in an AIP (absentee in person/supplemental check‑in) did not appear on the poll pad ePolls list. Staff said ABM ballots do not have an ePolls number list. Powell said the Jarvis credit and printed voter certificates reconciled the affected precinct totals.
The board took one formal action during the session: the presiding officer moved to approve the published agenda as presented; Mr. Bruning made the motion and Ms. Fisher seconded, and the presiding officer recorded the vote as, “All of those in favor? Aye. Any opposition? The motion passes 4 0, if you'll note that, board member AFRED is not with us for purposes of our minutes.”
No ballots were adjudicated during the meeting. Staff said once provisional duplication and subsequent scanning are complete, final results will be presented at the certification meeting scheduled for Monday, July 21, at 3 p.m. in the BOC Room at 100 Cherokee Street.
Less‑urgent administrative notes included a short exchange about whether an executive session would be needed ahead of the certification meeting and thanks from the presiding officer to staff for managing another election cycle.
