Missing 293 Votes Could Mean Douglas County Fine: State Board

DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Georgia's election board said Thursday the state has reason to fine Douglas County officials, claiming the county illegally missed 293 votes in the 2020 General election.

The votes were found on a missing memory card during a hand recount ordered by Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, according to a filing from his office. President Joe Biden had already won Douglas County with about 62 percent of the vote. The memory card added 28 votes to his total.

The state election board’s finding of probable cause was one of 24 referred to the Georgia attorney general’s office after a seven-hour session Thursday, according to The Douglas County Sentinel.

“No one is sure why the memory card did not upload,” said attorney Bill Linkous, who represented Douglas County Election Supervisor Milton Kidd and the county election board during the hearing.

Blaming the apparent mix-up on inadequate training and a technician supplied by Dominion Voting Systems, Linkous asked the state board to either dismiss the case or issue a letter directing the county to correct the problem.

But the board declined after one of its member asked why nobody with Douglas County noticed that there were 293 more voters than votes in the Nov. 3 election.

The allegation will now be referred to the Georgia attorney general’s office for possible prosecution. According to Walter Jones, a spokesperson for the Raffensperger’s office, a fine is the most likely penalty.

Read the story in the Douglas County Sentinel.