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State Election Board Approves $180,000 Fine Against Fulton County Board of Elections

ATLANTA – The State Election Board approved a consent agreement today that levies a $180,000 fine against the Fulton County Board of Registrations and Elections for state election law violations occurring in the 2008 and 2012 general elections. The agreement has already been approved by Fulton County.

The violations include failure to place voters in correct precincts, failure to update the supplemental voter list, failure to timely process address changes and other registration documents, failure to provide official voter lists to all precincts, failure to provide absentee ballots to all voters who requested them, failure to process all provisional ballots, failure to complete required paperwork to ensure the accuracy of the election, and other violations. These violations led to qualified voters not being allowed to cast ballots.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp, Chairman of the State Election Board, said, “I am glad that we were able to come to an agreement with Fulton County on these issues. The size of this fine shows that Fulton County recognized there were serious issues in how it administered these elections, and I believe they are committed to fixing these issues going forward. The State Election Board has not and will not stand for violations of state election law. Anything that leads to qualified voters not being able to cast a ballot is completely unacceptable, and I applaud Fulton County for recognizing and fixing these issues. I also applaud the State Election Board for standing up for the right to vote. My office and the State Election Board will continue to make sure that it is easy to vote and hard to cheat in Georgia elections.

When asked whether it was the largest fine that the State Election Board has ever issued, Kemp said, “I know there has not been a bigger one since I have been Secretary of State. I think the size of the fine accurately reflects the seriousness of the issues and lets everyone know that violations of state election law will not be tolerated.”

Brian Kemp has been Secretary of State since January 2010. Among the office’s wide-ranging responsibilities, the Secretary of State is charged with conducting secure, accessible, and fair elections, the registration of corporations, and the regulation of securities, charities, and professional license holders.

Submitted 8.13.15
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