This can potentially narrow Democrats’ newly won majority before the new Legislature takes office. State election officials said on Friday that the uncounted memory card was discovered in Seminole County during a post-election review, changing the vote totals in House District 151.
A previously missing election machine memory card has reversed the apparent outcome of a closely watched Georgia House race.
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said his office has launched an investigation into how the memory card was left out of the original vote count, according to Capitol Beat . “That is unacceptable, and we intend to find out exactly how it happened. The results remain unofficial until certification. Republican Rep. Mike Cheokas of Americus failed to secure a majority in a three-way contest and will face Democrat Ethan Wolfe in a runoff after the independent candidate was eliminated. If Democrats win that seat, their majority would increase to two seats.
After the votes stored on the memory card were uploaded, Republican incumbent Gerald Greene moved from trailing Democrat Harry James by 58 votes to leading by 262 votes, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. Officials found roughly 388 more voters than recorded ballots. Greene received 10,193 votes while James received 9,932 votes, giving the Republican a lead of about 261 to 262 votes, depending on the reporting update, according to the Secretary of State’s updated unofficial results.
Election officials said the discrepancy surfaced when they compared the number of voters who checked in with the number of ballots counted in Seminole County. “This oversight didn’t just affect the numbers — it changed who was leading an election,” Raffensperger said. Another race could still affect the balance of power, according to Capitol Beat.
