This Primary in June many Georgians found themselves casting two votes for the state election. According to Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s secretary of state, one thousand people committed foul play while voting. President Trump made a joke suggesting that citizens cast a double vote during his visit to North Carolina. Many citizens said that the joke encouraged ill will in the authenticity of voting. While double voting is a felony in Georgia, citizens took heed to the joke by voting in person after mailing in their ballot.
The attorney general of Georgia and local prosecutors have not yet come to a decision on how to go about charging the voters. Although Raffensperger said that the double votes did not change the outcome of any Georgia primary races the act is still punishable by up to ten years in prison or a hundred thousand dollars fine.
The Georgia Voter Empowerment task force disagreed with Raffensperger’s claim that the votes had no affect on the outcome of the primary. An investigation by the New York Times found many problems in Georgia’s new voting system from long lines at polling places to late absentee ballots. Overall, double voters are just the tip of the iceberg for what continues to be foul play amongst Georgia voting systems.