Monday’s meeting of the Georgia State Election Board will provide the Board with an opportunity to take an important step toward further ensuring the integrity of elections in Georgia. In so doing, the Board will enhance Georgians' confidence in election administration and contribute to their sense that election results will truly and properly represent the consent of the governed as expressed in that election.
Under current law in Georgia – to wit, GA Code §21-2-493(b), “Computation, Canvassing, and Tabulation of Returns; Investigation of Discrepancies in Vote Counts … “ – election officials are required to “compare the registration figure with the certificates returned by the poll officers showing the number of persons who voted in each precinct or the number of ballots cast.” If the number of votes returned on any question is larger than the number of registered voters in the precinct, or larger than the number of persons who voted, or larger than the number of votes cast, then the superintendent is required to conduct an investigation, and “no votes shall be recorded from such precinct until an investigation shall be had.”
In other words, election officials must check the registration figures for the precinct, and make sure there are not more votes cast than there are registered voters. That’s just common sense. If there are more votes cast than there are registered voters, something is (obviously) very wrong.
The requirements of the law go further: Once they’ve made sure there are no more votes cast than there are registered voters, election officials must match the number of voters who voted to the number of ballots cast and then match that number to the number of votes counted. Matching the numbers to one another is the process known as “reconciliation.” All the numbers should be the same. If those totals are not the same, the numbers have not been reconciled – and then election officials must investigate the discrepancy. They are not allowed to certify the election results until any discrepancies have been resolved.
Again, that’s just common sense. It’s not rocket science.
For example, reconciliation would catch the error if, for some reason, a ballot or a group of ballots had been scanned twice. Double-scanning would result in more ballots being counted than ballots having been cast. Without reconciliation, the error would go uncaught, and an erroneous count would be certified. By requiring reconciliation before certification, errors like that can be caught in time, and erroneous certifications can be avoided.
Bank tellers are required to reconcile their cash drawers on a shift-by-shift basis. So are grocery store cashiers, and gas station cashiers, and fast-food restaurant cashiers, and just about everyone who handles a cash drawer. Certainly, if they can reconcile totals on a shift-by-shift basis, it’s not too much to ask election officials to reconcile the number of voters who voted to the number of ballots cast to the number of votes counted, in the name of election integrity.
At Monday’s meeting, the Board will consider proposed rule 183-1-12-.12, which mirrors and implements state law's reconciliation provision.
The proposed rule simply creates a standard procedure for counties to follow when complying with the reconciliation mandates already in state law.
Enactment of this proposed rule would ensure that elections in Georgia are administered properly and uniformly on a one-person, one-vote standard across the entire state, and would guard against certification of inaccurate results.
Georgians deserve the confidence of knowing that election integrity is the highest priority for those tasked with administering elections. Georgia’s elections must be honest, transparent, and secure, and this proposed rule would help ensure that they are.
If we hope to create greater confidence in our elections, it is vital that we ensure that every legal voter who wants to vote can cast a vote, that every vote is counted, and that only legal votes are counted. In Georgia, the State Elections Board is tasked with the responsibility of promulgating rules and regulations to promote uniformity in election practices, safeguard election administration, and ensure the integrity of the system. At Monday’s meeting, by passing proposed rule 183-1-12-.12 – a rule designed to standardize the implementation of procedures to implement the law’s reconciliation mandates – the Board can do its job.
Jenny Beth Martin is the Honorary Chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action.