Fulton election office reviews residency of nearly 7K voters
Fulton County queries 7,000 voters over addresses
Fulton County election officials face scrutiny after automated state records erroneously flagged a newly built Sandy Springs apartment community on Roswell Road as a gas station, placing thousands of active voters under residency challenges ahead of the midterm election.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Nearly 7,000 Fulton County voters face challenges to their residency status just days before the Nov. 3 election, leaving many unaware that their eligibility is in question.
What we know:
Two Sandy Springs voters contacted FOX 5 Atlanta after receiving challenge letters from Fulton County election officials.
The notices stated their home address at the newly-built Wayfern Apartments on Roswell Road was not legitimate and scheduled a hearing for Nov. 3 to determine their eligibility.
Government records initially indicated the apartment location was a gas station.
Fulton County Elections Chair Sherri Allen said the site previously housed a Big Lots store and a gas station before apartment occupancy began late last year.
Allen revealed that 55,000 voter challenges were sent to the county by the Secretary of State's office in January.
Fulton County officials emphasized that they did not initiate the challenge program, as all Georgia counties receive challenge names directly from the Secretary of State.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the exact number of challenged voters who have successfully resolved their residency status prior to Election Day.
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To assist affected residents, the department is sending corrective letters and posting information on its registration and elections pages. Voters can reach election workers by phone or email to resolve address discrepancies and ensure they can cast a ballot.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Fulton County Elections Chair Sherri Allen, who explained how the voter challenge data was received and processed, as well as documents provided by a Sandy Springs voter.