Why Georgia has extended its deadline for some absentee ballots
A Georgia state judge has ruled in favor of extending the deadline for absentee ballots in Cobb County after election officials failed to send out over 1,036 ballots. Voters who requested the absentee ballots, but never received them, will have until Nov.14 to cast their ballots, CNN reports.
Janine Eveler, the Cobb County elections director, told reporters, "The ballots appeared to be issued because they were marked in the system as issued, but the final step of actually running it through the machine did not." She said the missing ballots were "completely human error."
In response to the administrative mistake, the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and the Southern Poverty Law Center announced that they had filed a lawsuit in an attempt to secure more time for voters to receive replacement ballots to cast their votes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cobb election officials determined that of the 1,036 voters who did not receive their absentee ballot, 716 have not voted yet. Officials calculated that 276 voters still need to be sent a replacement ballot with an overnight return envelope, per CNN. Others opted to vote during the early voting period.
The new deadline will match the deadline for the state's military and overseas ballots. Those voting by absentee ballots must normally cast and postmark the vote by Election Day. Cobb County election attorney Daniel White says those who haven't received their replacement ballots can print out the federal write-in ballots typically reserved for overseas voters.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
The six-seven meme that has taken over the worldIn the Spotlight With roots in rap and basketball, the phrase has young people obsessed, and it could be here to stay
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
A journey through Trinidad’s wild heartThe Week Recommends Experience the island’s natural wonders, from watching baby turtles hatch to visiting an ancient bat cave
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
-
Trump nominee in limbo after racist texts leakSpeed Read Paul Ingrassia lost Republican support following the exposure of past racist text messages
-
Trump begins East Wing demolition for ballroomspeed read The president’s new construction will cost $250 million
-
Appeals court clears Trump’s Portland troop deploymentSpeed Read A divided federal appeals court ruled that President Trump can send the National Guard to Portland
-
Millions turn out for anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ ralliesSpeed Read An estimated 7 million people participated, 2 million more than at the first ‘No Kings’ protest in June
