Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Elections Certification topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fulton County board certifies special election for State Senate District 35 after staff review of scanner logs
Summary
Fulton County’s Board of Registration and Elections certified the Nov. 24 special election for State Senate District 35 after staff reviewed scanner log files and election summaries and told the board vote totals were accurate despite a scanner date/time default. The certification passed unanimously.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections certified the results of the Nov. 24 special election for State Senate District 35 after staff reviewed election materials and scanner logs and told the board the vote totals were correct.
Board members paused the meeting to examine scanner log files and an updated ballot summary after a member noticed small discrepancies between reports. Speaker 1 said the board’s laptop showed 4,940 advanced votes while the ePulse voter check-in report showed 4,939, and asked staff to explain the difference. Staff said that ballot activation codes — used when a voter does not appear on a poll pad and is issued an activation card — can cause some records to appear differently across electronic reports.
"It's not gonna change your certification totals," Speaker 3 told the board, explaining that voters who received ballots still receive credit for voting even if their check-in did not post to ePulse in the same way. Staff also presented an updated election summary showing 6,429 total ballots scanned, 39 undervotes and 14 unresolved write-ins; the figures were described to the board as distinct line items in the official election summary.
The board reviewed scanner logs from a CT Martin tabulator after staff flagged a recurring default date/time value on results tapes. Speaker 7 said the device appeared to revert to a default date during advanced voting; staff characterized the behavior as a scanner malfunction and said they would remove the unit from inventory and contact the vendor for service. Staff told the board they had verified that physical ballots and the results tapes matched and that the logic-and-accuracy paperwork for the scanner was in order.
Speaker 3 told the board staff would try to obtain additional log files from Dominion Voting Systems during the meeting and provide any backup files that could show the changes the board requested. Speaker 3 also said the ballot-canvas summary template in use was based on a template provided by Michael Heakin (sourced from the Federal Election Commission) and that the board could request changes to how certain items are displayed at a later meeting.
After members who reviewed the pre-certification materials signed the review form noting the scanner defaulted but that votes were accurately recorded and counted, Speaker 5 moved to certify the election. The board voted unanimously in favor, with the Chair announcing the certification and plans to sign off on the paperwork.
The board then moved to adjourn and said it would reconvene at its next scheduled meetings on Dec. 2 (special/board meeting) and Dec. 5 (regular meeting).
