SC Election Supervisor addresses rumors, misinformation

At Tuesday’s meeting of the Stephens County Board of Registrars and Elections, County Elections Supervisor Bruce Carlisle and board members spoke in depth about a number of rumors and the proliferation of misinformation regarding voting and voter registration procedures, especially as they relate to the security and accuracy of elections.

Carlisle sat down with WNEG Radio following the meeting to discuss some of the concerns he has heard from citizens. He said one of the most common topics that voters seem to be worried about is the accuracy of the county’s voter rolls, and how often they are updated.

He said that the county’s voter rolls are updated on a daily basis as new data becomes available from a variety of sources.

He said there have been allegations made by four individuals that there were deceased people that voted in the last presidential election.

Another concern he has heard from residents is the idea that relatives of deceased voters are using the deceased individual’s absentee ballot to cast votes. He said those rumors typically stem from the promotional materials sent out by various groups that are made to look like absentee ballots.

Carlisle said there is an ongoing process in place to facilitate the cleanup and verification of the county’s voter rolls.

He explained that, in the next 30 days alone, the local elections office and the Secretary of State’s office will send out dozens of letters to registered Stephens County voters who have not been active, advising them to contact the local office and update their records.

He said that even if someone received one of those letters and did not respond within the set time period, they would not be removed from the voter rolls, but made inactive.

Board of Elections chairman Sean Black addressed concerns over computer problems that were discovered with the voting machines in other counties, and pointed out that Stepnes County is taking every step necessary to protect our machines, and that our elections office and board can only concern themselves with our local processes and policies, while other counties deal with the issues within their districts.

For more information on the elections process and security measures at the Stephens County Registrar and Elections office, call 706-886-8954.