ATLANTA — The deadline to request your absentee ballot in Georgia is Friday, Oct. 28. But as time winds down to get those ballots in mailboxes, posts about how to properly cast them are circulating online.
But are they accurate?
QUESTION
Is it true "the machine that counts absentee ballots only reads your ballot when you bubble in the full circle?"
SOURCES
- Rules and Regulations of the state of Georgia 183-1-15
- Georgia Secretary of State's Absentee Voting Guide
- 11Alive political analyst Andra Gillespie
- Zach Manifold, Gwinnett County elections supervisor
- Several county election officials
WHAT WE FOUND
Turns out, Georgia law is pretty specific about what absentee ballot scanners will and will not count as a vote. According to 183-1-15, ballot scanners are set so that ovals that are at least 20% filled will be counted, while ovals filled less than 10% won't be.
Anything between that amount can be flagged for review by a bipartisan panel.
"If there's a mark there on the ballot that isn't a full mark, it'll essentially put it in a review category," Zach Manifold, Gwinnett County elections supervisor, explained, adding that the review is then conducted by a bipartisan panel.
"And if they can determine what kind of voter intent is there, they can do what we call 'on screen adjudication' and go ahead and count that vote," Manifold said.
So while it's false that ballot scanners will only read ovals 100% filled in, there are standards in place.
"If you follow the instructions and fill the oval out, it reduces the possibility dramatically that your ballot is going to be rejected or require additional curing," Andra Gillespie, 11Alive's political expert, said. "And it makes sure that it's very clear whom you're voting for."
Georgia's Secretary of State's Absentee Voting Guide also makes clear that "failure to complete your ballot correctly could cause your ballot not to be counted."
According to elections officials in Dekalb and Fulton counties, other common mistakes that could cause your absentee ballot to be flagged include:
- Overvoting (or voting for more candidates than allowed)
- Forgetting to sign the ballot application or the ballot itself
- Forgetting to include I.D. requirements
- Missing deadlines for requesting an absentee ballot or returning it on time
Reminder, a ballot must be received by the county registrar no later than the close of polls on Election Day. Delivery can be either U.S. first class mail or hand delivered by the voter. If mailing, you must affix postage to the ballot envelope. Ballots received after the polls close cannot be counted. All counties must have at least one drop box location.
Election officials are also reminding voters that turning in an absentee ballot at a polling place on Election Day is not allowed. For more information about drop boxes, please contact your registrar.
"This is just a matter of telling people don't try to take any shortcuts," Gillespie added. "Just follow the instructions. Chances are it will actually end up saving you a lot of trouble on the back end."
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You can read our full mission statement online. In addition, get more election resources here at 11alive.com/vote.