Georgia County officials mistakenly declared the winner of the council race before all votes were tallied
Untold votes on a memory card changed an election in Cobb County, Georgia, officials say.
Madelyn Orochena announced her victory on social media for Kennesaw City Council Special Item 1 after saying the results are in.
“I’m excited and so grateful! It’s a win! See you Monday,” Orochena wrote in the social media post.
However, Orochena’s victory was short-lived after a memory card was discovered on Wednesday. The results changed with the predicted winner being Lynette Burnette.
“Unfortunately, we uploaded it after we found it, and it changed the outcome of the Kennesaw City Council race,” said Cobb County elections director Janine Eveler.
The memory card contained 789 uncounted ballots from the county. Burnette defeated Orochena by just 31 votes.
Following the announcement, Orochena released a statement on social media, sharing her disappointment and frustration.
“It’s shameful. … And our confidence in our governing bodies continues to wane.” Orochena wrote.
Cobb election officials said the memory card was found in the Kennesaw area while poll workers prepared for a risk-limiting audit. The results attributed to the map have since been sent to the office of Georgia’s foreign minister, election officials said.
Cobb County election officials said the results listed on the Secretary of State’s election page now reflect the exact results.
Orochena said in a social media post that she would file a complaint with the foreign minister’s office.
“I’m just trying to get more information on what’s within my rights so we can be confident whoever wins wins fair,” Orochena said.
The election results will be reconfirmed in a special session called “Meeting Friday.”
“We deeply regret this error and will launch an investigation and review of procedures after the upcoming runoff to ensure this never happens again,” the election officials said in a press release.
https://nypost.com/2022/11/19/georgia-county-officials-mistakenly-declared-winner-of-council-race-before-all-votes-counted/ Georgia County officials mistakenly declared the winner of the council race before all votes were tallied
