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35 election law violations referred to the Georgia Attorney General's Office

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Published  February 11, 2021 11:09pm EST
Election
FOX 5 Atlanta

Election law violations

The State Election Board is reviewing 35 cases of election law violations.

ATLANTA - The Georgia Attorney General's Office will be looking into 35 cases of election law violations.

David Worley is a member of the State Election Board, and he said violations could include "violation of the election code or an irregularity in how an election was administered."

He said it is a lengthy process that starts with the Secretary of State's Office.

"The secretary's chief investigator presents the findings to the State Election Board. At that point, we decide if there is probable cause. If so, we refer it on to the Georgia Attorney General's Office," Worley said.

Once the case is in the hands of the Attorney General's Office, the case can go several different ways.

"They can negotiate a plea with the party that has been charged and that can include a letter about how they should not violate the law again. It could involve a public reprimand or it can involve a fine of up to $5,000," Worley said.

Worley said the person who has been charged can also request to hold a hearing in front of a judge.

But ultimately, all cases end up back in front of the State Board of Elections for approval.

This is a process that can take years to play out.

"There has been a backlog in the Secretary of State's Office investigative division, so some of these cases are three and four years old," Worley said.  "The Secretary of State's Office is trying to work through these cases and present them to us, so we have a large number of cases at our meetings."

According to the Secretary of State's Office, the latest cases include the following:

  • The New Georgia Project which allegedly submitted 1,268 voter registration applications after the 10-day deadline, causing voters to be disenfranchised in the March 19, 2019, special election
  • Samunta Shomine Pittman of Atlanta for allegedly submitting 70 false voter registration applications while canvassing for the Coalition for the People’s Agenda
  • Floyd Jones and the Fayette County Board of Elections and Voter Registration where he was the director at the time for alleged improper handling of four memory cards registering 2,760 votes in the Nov. 3, 2020, general election
  • Joseph Lee Blackmon of Atlanta for allegedly registering to vote while serving a felony sentence
  • Hassan Dawud Musaddiq of Decatur for allegedly voting while serving a felony sentence
  • Michael M. Ware of Columbus for allegedly voting while serving a felony sentence
  • Brian Keith Pritchard of Cherry Log for allegedly voting while serving a felony sentence
  • Talibah Fagueera Fatimah Bint Abdul Hamid Bratton of Lilburn for allegedly submitting a false voter registration application
  • Sharmaine Swift of Lithonia for allegedly submitting a false voter registration application
  • Sophia Sharpe of Valdosta for allegedly voting in another person’s name
  • Albert Niks of Winder for allegedly voting as a non-citizen
  • Sean Watson of Covington for allegedly voting as a non-citizen
  • Clifton Seymour Salmon of Fairburn for allegedly registering to vote as a non-citizen
  • Hurlstone Hendy of Locust Grove for allegedly voting as a non-citizen

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