Residents press Cherokee County elections board over alleged irregularities; some urge hand counts

Dozens of residents used the public-comment period at a Cherokee County Board of Elections and Registration meeting to press officials on election integrity, alleging problems with voting machines and voter rolls and urging changes including precinct hand counts.

Speakers repeatedly raised concerns about the county’s certification of Dominion voting equipment and urged the board to require additional verification before certifying results. Beth Macure told the board she and others had “brought law, evidence, and suggestion for resolution” and asked how the board could “personally certify our county elections without fully knowing, ensuring there has been no manipulation.”

Several commenters cited outside reports and court filings. Anne Embree handed the board a list of reports she said show machine vulnerabilities and said the board “should have never verified and certified the 2020 and 2022 election.” Chuck Cape of Woodstock urged hand counting, saying hand-processed ballots at the precinct could be completed by small teams and offering a calculation for throughput: “A determined public can see right through any of these excuses... Hand processed, hand counted ballots are the only fair way to determine the vote for 2024.”

Other speakers described practical problems they said undermined voter confidence. Deborah Davis said she received an absentee ballot weeks after it was reportedly mailed and noted envelopes lacked postmarks; she also objected to an apparent party code on the envelope that she said is unnecessary before a ballot is opened. Several commenters asked the board to remove identifying party markings on mail materials.

Board members responded that they have pursued local steps such as pre-certification audits and statistical sampling to verify results. One board member described efforts to pull a statistically significant sample and recount it to achieve a high level of confidence, saying those audits would continue “until you make a case to your state reps and state senators.” The board did not take formal action at the meeting beyond routine agenda and minutes approvals.

The meeting record shows no formal change to certification procedures or an immediate commitment to a hand-count program; the board said it will continue internal audits and consider state-level options and advocacy if different voting methods are desired. The board also said it will follow up on items raised during public comment at future meetings.