The Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration convened a pre-certification meeting at 3:02 p.m. to review outstanding provisional ballots, the timeline for final results and an upcoming risk-limiting audit.

Elections staff told the board there were 23 provisional ballots from Election Day: 20 marked out-of-precinct that will be duplicated, two recorded for other reasons and one pending an identification cure. Three additional absentee-by-mail cures remained outstanding; those voters had until 5 p.m. to complete the cure process. Staff said panels to process the provisional ballots were scheduled to arrive at 4:30 p.m.

The item matters because the board must resolve provisional ballots and upload complete results before formal certification. Elections staff said they planned to upload the final, complete results Monday morning ahead of the board’s certification meeting.

Elections staff also told the board that the county’s risk-limiting audit (RLA) is scheduled for Tuesday, May 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the elections office. "Our RLA is going to be next Tuesday, May 6, from 9 to 5," staff said. The audit will use six teams; the political parties have been notified and may each send six designees. Staff said there would be an open viewing area for members of the public.

On turnout figures, staff reported an Election Day count of 10,066 ballots cast (reported as 4.19% on the summary sheets), advanced voting of 6,217 (2.59%), and absentee-by-mail at 63 (0.07%). Including provisionals not yet adjudicated, staff reported a preliminary grand total of 16,446 (6.84%). The staff-provided summary also showed turnout by district, with District 2 at 8.25% and District 4 at 5.61%.

Staff noted that the internal materials distributed to board members include a 29-page Statement of Votes Cast PDF, an election summary report, ePulse numbered lists, and a Jarvis voter participation spreadsheet broken out by ballot type. Staff said the ePulse AIP numbered list is for internal use and not for publication.

No formal changes to the results schedule were made at the meeting. The board approved the meeting agenda at the start of the session; Mr. Bruning moved the motion and Ms. Fisher seconded it. The motion passed unanimously. The board’s certification meeting was announced for Monday at 3 p.m. in the VOC Room at 100 Cherokee; the pre-certification meeting adjourned at 3:20 p.m.