Georgia election officials believe more than 3,000 absentee ballots were mailed late in Cobb County just days before the election. As of Nov. 1, a Cobb County judge ordered an extension for the absentee ballots to count the votes in the election.

Absentee voting, also known as mail-in voting, is a form of voting that does not require voters to go to a designated polling place on Election Day to vote. Instead, voters can fill out their ballots and return them in person or via mail. 

Georgia rules that for absentee votes to be counted valid, they must be received by the Country Board of Registrars at least 11 days before Election Day. Georgia also does not require voters to have an excuse to qualify for an absentee ballot but does require voters to be registered for voting. 

Residents of Marietta, north of Atlanta, were using the U.S. Postal Service express and overnight shipping options to make their ballots deliver on time. Board of Elections Chairwoman Tori Silas blamed the late ballots on faulty equipment and late absentee ballot requests. 

“The requests came in too late for the state’s approved printing vendor, so the county had to switch to using its own printing equipment. But those machines were not working and had to be fixed, which caused the delay,” said a Cobb County Board of Elections Attorney. 

A Cobb County judge ruled that voters receiving absentee ballots late can return them before Nov. 8 as long as they are stamped by Tuesday, Nov. 5.

In addition to the extension, the County Judge ordered the ballots to be segregated and kept secure and required the elections department to list and notify affected voters. 

“The agreement gives us a solution that helps ensure the voting rights of those affected and gives the public the assurance that all those who want to cast a ballot legally can do so,” said Silas.