Key facts
- Raffensperger said the discrepancy surfaced when checked-in voters were compared with ballots cast, showing about 388 more voters than ballots.
- The secretary of state's office said Greene now leads James by 262 votes in House District 154.
- Raffensperger said the oversight changed who was leading an election and that the state intends to find out how it happened.
- The state agency said it will examine whether proper procedures were followed and how the memory card was overlooked.
- County officials have until Monday to certify their results.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger opened an investigation into a state House race after Seminole County uploaded several hundred votes that had not been counted, his office said. The upload changed the unofficial outcome of House District 154, where Republican incumbent Gerald E. Greene now leads Democrat Harry James by 262 votes.
According to the secretary of state's office, officials found about 388 more voters recorded as checked in at polling places on Tuesday than the number of ballots the county reported had been cast. When the state notified county officials, the Seminole County Board of Elections found a memory card that had not been uploaded to its election management system.
"Every vote matters, and in a close election, even a relatively small number of unreported ballots can change the outcome," Raffensperger said. He also said the oversight "didn't just affect the numbers - it changed who was leading an election. That is unacceptable, and we intend to find out exactly how it happened."
The state agency said it will investigate whether proper procedures were followed, how the memory card was overlooked and what measures are needed to prevent similar incidents. County officials have until Monday to certify their results.
Capitol Beat reported that the secretary of state's website showed Greene with 10,193 votes to James's 9,932 on Friday night, a difference of 261 votes. It also reported that Democrats appeared to have flipped 13 other Republican seats and were on track to win 92 seats without Greene's, enough to control the 180-seat House, leaving a one-vote cushion if Greene's lead holds.