Internal emails from Fulton County election workers obtained by Just the News are heightening the mystery surrounding ballot-processing in Georgia’s largest county during last November’s presidential contest.
Uncertainty arose regarding the ballot processing operation at Fulton County’s State Farm Arena on and after Election Night, when ballot-scanning apparently continued even after most election workers had reportedly been sent home.
Two separate sworn affidavits from Election Night poll workers claimed that, at roughly 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 3, an official directed workers to stop working and to return the next day at 8:30 a.m.
Nearly half a dozen local and national media outlets, meanwhile, reported being told that absentee ballot-counting had ceased at around 10:30 p.m. and would resume the next day. Several reports cited county spokeswoman Regina Waller for that information.
Counting at the State Farm Arena, however, continued past 10:30 p.m. after most staffers had left. In December, Waller told Just the News that, contrary to the numerous media reports, she had “stated to all media … that although several workers were released to go home, a small team remained behind to assist with scanning ballots.”
It is unclear why no media outlets appear to have mentioned that fact.
In the emails obtained this weekend by Just the News through an open records request, Waller appears to indicate that the ballot-counting team had dispersed by around 10:30 p.m.
In the email, timestamped at 10:22 p.m. on Nov. 3 and addressed to several county officials as well as State Farm Arena spokesman Garin Narain, Waller wrote: “The workers in the Absentee Ballot Processing area will get started again at 8 am tomorrow.” Waller goes on to request arrangements for news crews hoping to get live shots of the counting the following day.
Reached for comment via email, Waller said the email “was in response to a question received asking when all workers would return.” She did not respond to a request to see the original email to which she was responding.
Another email obtained by Just the News, meanwhile, also points to more uncertainty regarding the timetable of ballot-counting on Election Night.
