A memory card containing Election Day results in Seminole County, Georgia, was not uploaded to the county’s election management system, leading to about 388 unreported ballots and a reversal in a tight state House race, according to the Georgia Secretary of State’s office and reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Lead flips after missing votes are added
Republican state Rep. Gerald Greene, the incumbent in Georgia House District 154, moved from trailing Democrat Harry James by 58 votes to leading by 262 once the missing memory card’s results were uploaded, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in a post on X. State officials said the discrepancy was flagged when Seminole County’s check-in totals did not match the ballots reported as cast.
State opens investigation
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a news release that his office has opened an investigation into the incident in Seminole County. “Georgia’s election safeguards are designed to identify discrepancies, and that is exactly what these guardrails did,” he said. “Our office identified a significant discrepancy, alerted county officials, and uncovered a failure to properly upload election results. This 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.”
Raffensperger added, “Every vote matters, and in a close election, even a relatively small number of unreported ballots can change the outcome.”
What’s next
The deadline to certify results is Monday, according to state officials. Raffensperger’s office said the probe will examine how the memory card was missed, whether required steps were skipped, and what changes are needed to prevent a repeat.
The Augusta Chronicle reported that if Greene is certified the winner, Democrats would hold a one-seat margin in the Georgia House.
