The Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration voted to certify the results of the Nov. 18 special election for Senate District 35 at a special meeting called at 4 p.m., approving the director's report and recording a 3-0 voice vote with two members absent.

Elections Director Michael reported the post-election totals and flagged a small number of discrepancies that the office is investigating. "We had a grand total of 5,490" advanced in-person (AIP) votes, he said, and noted the overlap week was by far the busiest. Michael reported 3,814 election-day ballots and summarized absentee-by-mail and provisional activity: 42 absentee-by-mail (40 regular, 2 provisional), 41 accepted and one rejected for missing identification; among five election-day provisional returns, one was not cured, two were rejected and two were accepted.

Michael told the board the office found a one-voter discrepancy when comparing internal counts to a Jarvis credit report (9,347 ballots cast recorded internally versus 9,346 on Jarvis), and said staff had identified specific dates and hours where anomalies occurred but not a definitive cause. "For an election this small and slow, there shouldn't be any discrepancies," he said, and recommended follow-up with vendor staff and additional training on poll pads and scanner procedures to prevent repeat issues.

Board members asked for clearer provisional reporting. One member noted a historical report column for provisional reason codes is missing in the current system, saying that absence makes it "too easy for people to think they were added after the fact." Michael responded that there is a provisional credit module in Jarvis and suggested consulting Melissa for details on how that information appears in the state system.

After discussion, a board member moved to certify the results "for the 11/18/2025 special election for Senate District 35 as presented." The motion passed by voice vote. The chair announced that, with two members absent, the board had certified the election.

The board directed staff to continue researching the one-voter discrepancies and to report back on both the technical findings and the use of Jarvis' provisional features. The board also confirmed upcoming meetings: the municipal runoff election-night meeting on Dec. 2 at 7 p.m. and the regular monthly certification meeting on Dec. 8 in the Board of Commissioners' Room.