DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — DeKalb County officials are dispelling tweets going around on the day after the election about mail in ballots being "tossed".
Our 11Alive Verify team went right to the source to find out if there was any truth to the rumors.
QUESTION
Is DeKalb County rejecting absentee ballots?
ANSWER
No. The county is not rejecting absentee ballots.
EXPLANATION
The claim - apparently shared by celebrities online - was that thousands of mail ballots in DeKalb County were being rejected, but the county said in a tweet from its DeKalb County Votes account that that claim is not accurate. It's unclear where these rumors originated.
In a statement, the county said that there are still about 200 ballots that need to be "cured" by voters - a process that offers voters the opportunity to correct a rejected absentee ballot.
In that process, "each voter is being contacted via phone or overnight mail" in order to allow them the chance to do so. (Here's more on the process of "curing," or correcting, a ballot.)
Vote-counting was still ongoing in several counties throughout Georgia post election day, and as of 4 p.m., Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said that there were still about 200,000 ballots outstanding.
“We have long anticipated – and said publicly – that counting would most likely take place into Wednesday night and perhaps Thursday morning," Raffensperger said. "We’re on pace to accomplish that responsibly, ensuring that the voice of every eligible voter is heard. It’s important to act quickly, but it’s more important to get it right.”
SOURCES
DeKalb County