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Irwin County schedules July 24 risk-limiting audit and sets Ocilla municipal qualifying dates
Summary
Election officials in Irwin County set a Risk Limiting Audit for July 24 and outlined qualifying windows for Ocilla’s November municipal election, including contingency plans for a special election if an alderman resigns to run for mayor.
At a July 18 meeting, the Irwin County Board of Elections & Registrations scheduled a Risk Limiting Audit (RLA) for Thursday, July 24, 2025, and outlined preparations for the November municipal election in Ocilla.
Election Supervisor Ethan Compton said the RLA will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. but is likely to finish much earlier because turnout in the Special Primary Runoff was low; he said the office intends for "all ballots will be counted" rather than limiting review to randomly selected batches from the Secretary of State’s Office. Compton told the board he anticipates one audit team will complete the work before 11:00 a.m. given the county’s ballot totals.
The RLA is intended to verify the July 15 Special Primary Runoff results and increase transparency ahead of certification. Compton also said the office will transmit a street list next week to the Ocilla City Clerk so the city can review and approve voter lists ahead of municipal qualifying.
Compton reported that he and Chairman Waymond Harris will attend the Georgia Association of Voter Registration and Elections Officials conference in Savannah Aug. 10–14 to meet state-required continuing education; Assistant Supervisor Romans will participate virtually to maintain certification. Compton said these trainings are required by state law for each county’s chief elections official (or designee) and for one board member each year to maintain GEOC, GROC and GE-ROC certifications.
The board also reviewed qualifying windows for Ocilla’s municipal election: qualifying will be 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Thursday (with a midday closure) and 9 a.m.–noon Friday, Aug. 18–22. Compton said that, under Ocilla’s charter, a sitting alderman who wishes to qualify for mayor must first submit a resignation; in that event the county would pursue a special election and hold special qualifying Aug. 27–29 so the vacancy contest could appear on the November ballot. He said the office would submit a Call for Special Election by noon on Aug. 22 to meet local newspaper deadlines (Ocilla Star) and the Secretary of State’s deadline to add contests by Sept. 5.
The board recessed at 3:10 p.m. and planned to reconvene at 5:00 p.m. to certify the July 15 results. The RLA is scheduled for July 24, after which the board will finalize and publish audit details and any findings.
