GA Election Results Fair, Accurate: Most Patch Readers Say

GEORGIA — Voting early was the overwhelming choice among Georgia residents, with the in-person absentee option the most popular method for voting in this year's election, according to a survey of Patch readers.

Among the total of 864 responses received in Patch's 2020 election survey, 51.8 percent said they voted in person prior to Election Day. Of the other responders, 28.4 percent voted absentee and dropped off their ballot, 11.2 percent voted absentee and mailed in their ballot, and 0.6 percent did not vote.

According to the survey, only 8 percent of the respondents voted on Election Day.

We opened our survey on voting to readers of our Georgia Patch sites at 2 p.m. Nov. 10 and closed it at noon on Nov. 12. Among the nearly 900 participants in the survey, more than 240 shared additional thoughts on their voting experience in the election. The survey is not meant to be a scientific poll but rather an informal way to gauge reader sentiment. The majority of our Georgia Patch sites are based in the Metro Atlanta region.

The survey results offered a different picture from how voters indicated they would vote more than two months before the election. The number of people who ended up sending in their absentee ballots by mail in the election dropped considerably from earlier indications.

In an earlier Patch survey conducted in late August, 44.1 percent of the respondents said they planned to vote absentee by mail and 20 percent planned to vote absentee at an in-person location. Whether it was due to concerns about the U.S. Postal Service or another reason, the percentage of people who ended up voting early in person — 51.8 percent — was much higher than how residents indicated they would vote in late August.

For people who voted in person, whether on Election Day or before the election, 85.8 percent said the experience was free of problems such as long lines, malfunctioning equipment, or inadequate staffing at their polling place. Only 2.5 percent of the survey participants said things went poorly when they voted in person, while 11.7 percent said some things went well and other things went poorly when they voted in person.

Many respondents praised the volunteers, and one said, "the poll workers were polite and helpful. They gave fear understandable directions. They were patient with questions."

A respondent who was a poll worker in both the early voting and the Nov. 3 election said, "I know that the teams I worked with were dedicated people, interested in a fair and secure election."

Another respondent praised Fulton County's early voting wait time website

"Watching that application I went when it was showing a zero time wait at a location near my home," they said. "I went in voted and returned home in a 15-20 minute time period including my 3-mile drive there and back home. Tremendous application to use."

For absentee voters, 86.2 percent said they were able to track the progress of their ballot online. Among the survey participants, 8.2 percent said they did not know whether they were able to track the progress of their ballot online.

One respondent said that voting by mail-in ballot and dropping it off was simple and easy.

"No need to wait in line and I felt like it was easier to look up the proposed House bills, make my choice, and immediately mark it, instead of trying to understand the legal language while at the poling place or having to walk in with a sheet of paper reminding me what to vote for," they said. "I think maybe the way mail-in ballots are counted after in person polling should be explained or made more common knowledge because a lot of people think that because they were voted after the poles were closed that the mail-ins are fraudulent. So how the counting of ballots works should be explained in the news to help those who are confused."

In terms of tracking their ballots, 67.7 percent of respondents said they received confirmation by Election Day that their ballot had been received.

"Status updates should be more timely," one respondent said. "It took a week after I turned in my ballot for it to indicate received."

For the voters who sent in their ballots by mail, 33.3 said the experience did not change their opinion of voting by mail, while 46.4 percent said they feel more confident now with the vote-by-mail system. The survey found that 20.3 percent of the respondents who voted absentee feel less confident about the vote-by-mail system.

The survey found that 48.1 percent of respondents believe that voting by mail should be made easier in future elections.

"I'd feel more secure if you had to present a photo of your driver's license, your Social Security Number and your birthdate along with your address to prove you are alive," one respondent said. "Why can't we vote online? Why do we need paper/mail?"

Another respondent said, "I have to take issue with the U.S. Postmaster General. I was very excited to vote by mail until the Postmaster General decided to start shutting down and retire mail-sorting machines during an election year. As a business continuity professional, I recognize this business interruption as pure sabotage. You don't shut down systems during business hours or a peak season. People get fired for making these bad business decisions. I'm hoping this 'issue' is addressed in 2020 so that we are prepared for the runoff elections in January 2021!!"

Asked whether they have confidence that the results of the 2020 elections in Georgia were fair and accurate, 53.9 percent of respondents strongly agreed with the statement, while 7.1 percent somewhat agreed. Among the respondents, 22.9 percent said they strongly disagreed that the Georgia elections were fair and accurate and 11.6 percent somewhat disagreed.

One respondent said where they live, Fulton County, "seems to be highly corrupt. I've lost faith in the integrity of voting in GA."

Another said it is, "hard to trust on a state that is still counting votes one week after the elections."

"Voting in our county is fair and transparent," another respondent said. "I am appalled at the people who yell 'fraud' just because they lost."

Confidence in the national election was similar, with 54.2 percent strongly agreeing the results were fair and accurate, and 27.8 percent strongly disagreeing.

"This year's election was different from any other," one respondent said. "Unfortunately, the wide range of voting solutions without adequate safeguards or testing brings into question the entire process. The lack of consistency and political objectives have made things worse."

While another simply said, "the election was fair and the American People have spoken."

Other comments made by survey respondents included:

• I am 74 and was greatly relieved that I did not have to expose myself to COVID-19 in a waiting line or a crowded voting location. The secure drop box at the public library was a great, safe option.
• Although a senior I will vote in person next time. I do not feel secure that my vote was counted.
• As a 74 year old senior citizen in Georgia, I had requested my absentee ballot in January 2020. It is good for one year of voting whereby the state will automatically send you a ballot for all subsequent elections in that year. This option should be available for ALL persons regardless of age. If you want a real democratic process for voting, you need more, not less, citizens voting!
• Given the current divide in this country, it’s heartening to see that the elections in states all over the USA ran relatively smoothly and with absolutely zero evidence of large scale fraud. It’s truly unfortunate that we have an incumbent president whose legacy (even after he’s dragged kicking and screaming from the Whie House) will be that of someone who sought solely to divide rather than unite.
• We should never hold another election on any level where normal in person voting and counting verification cannot be safely executed, where monitors cannot verify the counting process. We can simply extend the current term by 12 months if there is a pandemic or some other act of God that prohibits normal process. We should only hold a normal, non-mass-mail in, non-distanced elections that can be verified by in-person poll watchers of both parties. This whole process was a sham. Why did the vote count suddenly stop in several states, within minutes of each other, including Georgia? And then the poll watchers, who already couldn't clearly see what was happening, were made to leave, while ballot processing continued for several more hours in their absence. This has never happened in the history of our country. SHAME on Georgia! We are better than this. There would not be the doubt in voters' minds if the election had been held in a normal manner. And why do we have Dominion voting machines in Georgia? Every vote processed on a Dominion voting machine should be individually hand audited with a poll worker and a monitor of each party present and able to clearly see and confirm. That is the only way to verify a free and fair election took place. I don't know if my vote was counted the way I voted or not, but I have zero faith in the process that took place. SHAME!
• The only reason I didn't mail my ballot was that I believed the Trump administration had done so much to undermine the Post Office. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been worried about it.
• It's disturbing for elected officials to attack the American election system. Federal, state and local election authorities, agencies, and thousands of poll workers worked hard (despite the pandemic) to ensure our voting process was safe from outside actors and the effects of COVID. I am so impressed with the work those great Americans did for us all.
• Voting by absentee ballot and dropping off at a box is the safest and easiest way. Within a couple of days I knew that my vote had been received and accepted.
• I think there should be a recount of ballots where complaints of fraud was made.
• Why is GA still counting??? It’s been a week!
• I will pray for whichever candidate fairly and clearly wins. I do not believe Georgia and a few other states have secured clear results. I believe that a re-count is in order and both parties should have no problem with that. I personally witnessed technical difficulties, printer problems and a woman loudly asserting that her final on-screen ballot was contrary to her screen selections in some way upon review.
• Biden will prove to be the worst mistake since Jimmy Carter
• Donald Trump has been the worst President ever in the U.S.
• All elections have some degree of ineligible voting and fraud. As the stakes get higher, and the chance of getting caught remains low, it's just going to get worse. You can't trust an election when the margin is within 1-2 percent.
• Barely 62 percent of voting age Georgians cast a ballot. That's pathetic
• Voting is our obligation as Americans.