Secretary of State opens investigation into possible missing absentee ballot applications

ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday his office has opened an investigation into allegations of lost absentee ballot applications last year.

In a news release, Raffensperger said he launched the investigation after a series of accusations by the state Democratic Party, claiming at least 4700 absentee ballots were misplaced in the 2016 elections, preventing voters from receiving their requested absentee ballots.

Raffensperger said, “There is nothing I take more seriously than guaranteeing election integrity and bringing free and fair elections to every eligible voter, whether they choose to vote absentee or on Election Day. My office will exhaust every resource to investigate these allegations to deliver our voters peace of mind with a thorough examination of hard evidence.”

The news release states the investigation which will be conducted by the Investigations Division of the Secretary of State’s Office will be completed as soon as possible.

“We look forward to working closely with the Democratic Party of Georgia to examine every piece of evidence related to these allegations,” said Chief Investigator Russell Lewis.

The investigation is the latest development regarding the 2016 elections, where Democrats have claimed thousands of Georgians were unable to vote, possibly costing party nominee Stacey Abrams from winning the Governor’s race.

Even though Republican Brian Kemp defeated Abrams by nearly 55 thousand votes in a record turnout of Georgia votes, lawsuits filed by Democrats including a political action committee formed by Abrams have claimed thousands of Georgians were not able to cast ballots in the November 6th election due to malfunctioning voting machines, inaccurate rolls and ill-trained poll workers.