ATLANTA --- With a U.S. Senate seat in the balance, Fulton County elections officials continued to count absentee ballots at a warehouse in Atlanta on Thursday.
The outcome could determine whether Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss faces a Dec. 2 runoff to keep his seat. The current results show neither Mr. Chambliss or Democrat Jim Martin cracking the needed 50 percent plus one of the vote to claim a win.
The Chambliss and Martin campaigns were anxiously watching the returns in Fulton County. The absentee ballots are believed to be the largest chunk of uncounted votes in Georgia.
Currently, Mr. Chambliss has 49.8 percent of the vote, and Mr. Martin has 46.8 percent. Libertarian Allen Buckley pulled 3.4 percent of the vote.
There are still provisional ballots to be counted in some counties, including Richmond. Also military and overseas ballots must be received by county offices today and tallied. Secretary of State Karen Handel is expected to certify the election results next week.
Lynn Bailey, the executive director of the Richmond County Board of Elections, said Thursday that it was impossible to tell whether the 441 uncounted Augusta votes -- and similar ballots in other counties -- are enough to influence the need for a runoff in the Chambliss-Martin race.
Thursday night, the Richmond County board rejected 303 of its provisional ballots, leaving just 138 to be entered into the voting system today. It will then be known for whom those ballots were cast.
REJECTED VOTES
The Richmond County Board of Elections on Thursday night rejected 303 of the 441 of the provisional ballots cast for Tuesday's election. Here's a breakdown:
106: Voters who claimed to have registered but could not provide details as to when or where they registered.
60: Voters who registered with a third party and requested absentee ballots but never provided identification as is required by law for first-time voters.
41: Voters who claimed to have registered at a state agency, but no documentation could be found.
31: Voters who were registered in another county.
20: Paine College students who are registered in another county.
19: Voters who hadn't participated in two election cycles and were purged from the system.
12: Voters who didn't have photo identification.
7: Voters who are convicted felons.
4: Paine College students who claimed to have registered to vote at a state agency, but no documentation could be found.
3: Voters who are noncitizens.
-- Greg Gelpi, staff writer
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