The Athens-Clarke County Unified Government (ACCGov) Elections Department has discovered an error in a mailing list that allowed for a second absentee ballot to be mailed to 1,154 registered voters who requested an absentee ballot for the November 3, 2026, General Election.   

Absentee ballots and in-person ballots are tied to an individual voter. Because of this, the statewide elections system is designed to prevent more than one ballot from being cast even if a voter receives a second ballot due to an error or has requested a second one due to not having received the first ballot and later receives both.  

“We understand that receiving two absentee ballots can be concerning to voters,” said Pam Long, ACCGov Elections Department Director. “We want our community to know that we identified the issue, are tracking the affected ballots, and have procedures in place to ensure that each eligible voter has only one ballot accepted. We remain committed to transparency and to maintaining the accuracy, security, and integrity of our elections.” 

Voters who may have received a second absentee ballot in any situation should only complete one of the ballots to cast. Voters can destroy the extra ballot on their own through shredding or bring the blank absentee ballot to the ACCGov Elections Department at 155 E. Washington Street. Extra absentee ballots should not be mailed back separately, placed in the trash or recycling intact, given to another voter, or included in the same envelope with a completed ballot to cast.

As per Georgia law, the first group of absentee ballots was mailed to voters who requested them by a state-authorized print vendor on October 5, 2026. On October 7, 2026, the Elections Department was alerted to the receipt of two absentee ballots by some Athens-Clarke County voters. After investigating the issue, the department determined that a mailing list provided to the printer included addresses that were on an earlier mailing list.

In addition to sending public notifications about the error, the ACCGov Elections Department is sending expedited notices directly to all affected voters on Thursday, October 8. Department staff are also implementing additional measures to supplement regular election system processes and ensure all returned absentee ballots are reviewed upon receipt and that each voter only casts one ballot.

Voters can track the status of their absentee ballot request and the ballot itself through the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at mvp.sos.ga.gov.  

ACCGov Elections Department staff has spoken with the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office to inform them of the error. The Secretary of State’s Office has indicated its acceptance of Athens-Clarke County’s response to the matter. 

For more information, contact the ACCGov Elections Department at 706-613-3150 or visit www.accgov.com/elections.