In Seminole County, located in southwest Georgia, a memory card containing Election Day votes was not uploaded to the county election management system during the November 3 midterm elections. The omission altered the unofficial outcome of the State House District 154 contest between longtime Republican incumbent Rep. Gerald Greene and Democratic challenger Harry James.
Initial unofficial results showed James leading Greene by 58 votes. During routine post-election checks, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office identified a discrepancy of approximately 388 more voters recorded as having checked in at polling places than the number of ballots reported as cast.
After the office notified Seminole County officials, the Board of Elections located the unuploaded memory card and added its results. Updated figures placed Greene ahead by 262 votes. Unofficial tallies later listed Greene with 10,193 votes and James with 9,932, a margin of 261 votes.
Greene, who has represented the district since January 1983, had appeared to trail narrowly on election night. The addition of the previously uncounted ballots ultimately reversed that position, while county officials have until Monday to certify the result.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office opened an investigation to determine how the memory card was overlooked, whether required election procedures were followed, and what corrective measures could prevent similar issues. Raffensperger stated that Georgia’s election safeguards identified the discrepancy between voter check-ins and reported ballots. “Our office identified a significant discrepancy, alerted county officials, and uncovered a failure to properly upload election results,” he said.
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The secretary added that the oversight changed who was leading an election and that investigators would examine the circumstances. He also noted that every vote matters and that even a relatively small number of unreported ballots can affect a close contest.
The development carries substantial implications for control of the 180-member Georgia House. Democrats appeared on track to secure a majority for the first time in two decades, with projections of 93 seats before the Seminole County adjustment. A certified result favoring Greene would reduce that total to 92 seats, one above the 91 needed for a majority.
Another House race, District 151, is headed to a runoff, which could further affect the chamber’s composition.
Seminole County election staff indicated that the election management system computer did not complete its program for the last precinct’s memory card, resulting in an incomplete unofficial summary. State officials have indicated that the investigation will also consider whether similar uploads were missed elsewhere and whether procedural changes are warranted.
Certification of the District 154 results remains pending the Monday deadline, after which the updated totals, if confirmed, would stand unless further legal or administrative action intervenes.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
