Election workers preparing absentee ballots for Jan. 5 Senate runoff election

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County workers have started to sorting through absentee ballots ahead of the Jan. 5 Senate runoff election.

Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Nicole Carr was at the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta Wednesday where workers were essentially separating ballots from envelopes, performing signature matching and counting – but not tabulating – absentee ballots.

[RELATED STORY: Absentee ballots are already being prepped ahead of Election Day, Georgia’s secretary of state says]

This gets the ballots ready for actual tabulation to scan for results that, by law, cannot be done until Election Day. And that process moves from the GWCC to the election warehouse off English Street.

Much like the general election, there are a record number of mail-in ballots being processed, but holidays that have hindered the preparation period.

GEORGIA VOTER GUIDE:

• How to vote by absentee ballot for Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff elections
• COUNTY-BY-COUNTY: Where can I early vote in north Georgia for the Senate runoff?
• INTERACTIVE MAP: Where can I drop off my absentee ballot in metro Atlanta?
• Meet the candidates running for Georgia’s U.S. Senate Seat: David Perdue vs. Jon Ossoff
• Meet candidates for Georgia’s U.S. Senate Seat: Kelly Loeffler vs. Raphael Warnock

So because Thursday and Friday are holidays, the workers will be back on Saturday and Sunday to continue processing. It is, as always, an open observation area.

Fulton, being the largest county in the state, has been the focus of election disputes. Though none that have materialized in court, many that have resulted in death threats, criticism and more.

Secretary of State discusses lessons learned from general election to prepare for Senate runoff

Cox Media Group