If you have an issue with voting, the Secretary of State’s office will follow up

If someone files a complaint regarding an election issue, the Secretary of State’s office will surely follow up on it.

In Macon-Bibb County that’s been the case with the Nov. 4, 2016, general election when one resident says he was given the wrong ballot during the early voting period. The complaint was filed in November and in March of this year the Secretary of State’s Investigate Division requested access to Bibb County election records.

The Secretary of State’s office declined to comment on the Macon-Bibb investigation while it’s ongoing but said that it looks every complaint that’s filed.

“Our investigators informally investigate every complaint that our office receives,” said Candice Broce, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Brian Kemp. “Our investigators have discretion to determine which ones merit the opening of a formal investigation.”

Bibb County elections board member Mike Kaplan said that elections officials and staff work hard to ensure residents don’t have problems when they vote. There are signs posted telling people to not vote if they believe they have the wrong ballot.

“Make sure you’re voting with the right ballot because once you cast your ballot you can’t un-vote,” Kaplan said. “I think we as a board of elections must do a better job of voter education.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 12:04 PM with the headline "If you have an issue with voting, the Secretary of State’s office will follow up."