Paper Absentee Ballots: Security and Accuracy in Fayette County

Election security and vote fraud are back in the news as another election approaches, and it’s important for people who have seen the process up close to speak plainly about what actually happens. A few years ago, I served as a non‑partisan poll watcher at the Fayette County Elections and Voter Registration Department on election day. Based on what I witnessed firsthand, I can state without hesitation that paper absentee ballots in Fayette County are handled securely, transparently, and accurately.

The election process must ensure that only registered voters can vote, that each vote is counted once, and that every voter’s choices remain secret. The county records that you voted, but never how you voted. At the same time, the process must be as frictionless as reasonably possible so eligible voters are not disenfranchised. In a democracy, that requirement is foundational.

Inside the elections department on election day, two groups are present: the office staff who run the process and the observers- some from political parties, some non‑partisan. Members of the Fayette County Board of Elections also may drop in periodically. A key safeguard is that no one is ever alone with ballots. Two or more people are always present, usually many more.

Security begins when a voter requests an absentee ballot. The application must include identification and a signature, which are checked against the voter’s registration. Without being registered in Fayette County, you cannot obtain an absentee ballot.

When the ballot arrives, the envelope contains four important items: instructions, the return envelope with your identifying information, a separate envelope or folded piece of paper to hide your selections- a “privacy sleeve”, and the ballot itself. After marking the ballot, you place it in the privacy sleeve, seal it inside the return envelope, sign the affidavit, and return it by mail, drop box, or in person.

Once the ballot reaches the elections office, staff verify that it is one they issued and prepare it for counting. Georgia law allows absentee ballots to be processed before election day, but they are not tabulated until election day.

As election day near, staff begin opening envelopes. Ballots, privacy sleeves, and return envelopes are separated. Observers watch from a short distance but are not allowed to touch ballots. Staff keep distractions to a minimum. The work is slow and repetitive- half a dozen people opening hundreds of envelopes for hours- but it is done in full view of observers.

Occasionally, problems arise.

A common issue is a voter marking a choice, crossing it out, and selecting another, sometimes with a note like “not this one, that one.” The tabulating machines cannot read such ballots, so staff must duplicate the voter’s selections onto a fresh ballot and set the original aside. Many sets of eyes watch this process. Voters’ mistakes should not cost them their vote.

Another issue is a crease or tear that prevents the machine from reading the ballot. Again, staff duplicate the ballot exactly.

These procedures are how the system prevents fraud.

If I tried to copy 500 blank ballots, fill them out, and drop them in a box without the required return envelopes, staff would immediately reject them because they cannot be tied to any voter. I saw this happen with a few real ballots- voters who mistakenly returned only the ballot without the identifying envelope. Their votes could not be counted.

If I tried to spoof 500 ballots with forged return envelopes, most would be rejected because the voters never requested absentee ballots, had already voted in person, or were not registered in the first place. Signature verification would catch the rest. And receiving 500 ballots from the same source would raise immediate suspicion.

If I mailed an absentee ballot and then tried to vote again in person, the poll worker would see that I had already voted and issue a provisional ballot. The elections office would reconcile the two, and if I knowingly attempted to vote twice, I could face legal consequences.

Georgia enacted new voting laws in recent years, and some of them raise concerns about disenfranchisement- meaning an eligible voter who has done everything right but is still unable to vote.

Georgia requires a photo ID to vote in person. This is a reasonable safeguard so poll workers know they are giving a ballot to the correct voter. The problem is that not everyone has a photo ID valid for voting, especially the young and the elderly. The state offers a free voter ID card, but only if you are already registered to vote, which creates a barrier for people who lack foundational documents.

Registering to vote requires proof of identity, citizenship, and name, address, and date of birth. Some Georgians—especially older residents born at home—were never issued a birth certificate. The Georgia Secretary of State lists about twenty ways to prove citizenship, but many require a birth certificate or are extremely specific, such as proof of US Civil Service employment before 1976. A delayed birth certificate is possible but difficult and costly to obtain.

The state should do more to help citizens who lack these documents. Vital Records should provide delayed birth certificates at no cost when used solely for voter registration. Anything less risks excluding eligible voters.

I was fortunate to be born in a hospital and issued a birth certificate automatically. Others were not.

Georgia also prohibits ballot harvesting, meaning only close relatives or caregivers may return someone else’s absentee ballot. I doubt many people would hand their ballot to a stranger anyway, and for anyone trying to collect ballots, it would be an inefficient strategy. “Get out the vote” groups already drive voters to the polls; driving voters to drop off their absentee ballots is both legal and more effective. No one has ever been prosecuted in Georgia for ballot harvesting. This law appears to be a solution in search of a problem.

My years working in quality control taught me that systems need checks and balances to function correctly. Processes must prevent both inadvertent errors and intentional tampering. Fayette County’s elections staff follow solid, transparent procedures that protect the integrity of every absentee ballot.

What I witnessed in Fayette County was a system built on redundancy, transparency, and human oversight. Every ballot was accounted for, every irregularity was handled in the open, and every step had multiple sets of eyes on it. The public often hears about vulnerabilities in the abstract, but the reality on the ground is that absentee ballots move through a tightly controlled chain of custody with safeguards at every stage.

Where Georgia still falls short is not in counting votes, but in ensuring that every eligible citizen can access the system in the first place. When someone lacks a birth certificate or other foundational documents, the barrier is not fraud prevention- it is bureaucracy. A democracy should not make the right to vote contingent on navigating a maze of paperwork that some citizens, through no fault of their own, cannot produce.

Election security and voter access are not opposing goals. They are complementary. Fayette County demonstrates that ballots can be protected with rigor and integrity. Georgia should apply that same commitment to the front end of the process by helping citizens obtain the documents they need to register. Strengthening access strengthens legitimacy.

The counting process works. Now we should make sure every eligible voter can reach it.