Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger
Georgia has recorded 1,307,472 absentee ballots in 2020 and rejected just 3,152 of them-- a rejection rate of just 0.24 percent.
That’s according to an analysis of Georgia Secretary of State mailed absentee ballot records by the Peachtree Times.
The state’s 2020 absentee ballot rejection rate this year has been just one-twelfth of what it was in the 2016 presidential election.
That year, 202,492 Georgians voted absentee and 6,059 ballots were rejected, or three percent of the total.
If elections officials had rejected ballots at a similar rate this year as they did in 2016, more than 39,000 ballots would not have counted-- or nearly four times the existing margin between Republican President Donald Trump and Democrat challenger Joe Biden.
Per state laws, absentee ballots are rejected for myriad reasons, including arriving late, having no signatures or signatures that don’t match. Other disqualifying transgressions: writing the name of the candidate for whom you are voting on the envelope, or leaving an envelope open.
Voters casting absentee ballots-- especially for the first time-- are expected to make mistakes.
But not this year in Georgia.
Georgia’s reported 2020 absentee rejection rate is among the lowest ever publicly recorded in U.S. election history.
University of Florida Political Science Professor Michael McDonald studied 25 2020 primary elections and said some two percent of absentee ballots-- or eight times Georgia’s general election rate-- were rejected.
One percent of absentee ballots were rejected in Georgia’s 2020 primary election, or four times as many as it rejected in the general election. Florida rejected 1.5 percent of absentee ballots in its 2020 primary, one third for failing to meet signature match requirements.
New York election officials reported in July that 25 percent of absentee ballots were being rejected. Many didn’t have proper signatures or postmarks.
Georgia Absentee Ballot Rejection Rate falls to historic low in 2020
Georgia saw a record 1.3 million absentee ballots in 2020. How many were rejected in your county in 2020?
| County | 20 Accepted | 20 Rejected | 20 Rate |
| APPLING | 1,529 | 3 | 0.14% |
| ATKINSON | 296 | 0 | 0.00% |
| BACON | 680 | 2 | 0.21% |
| BAKER | 374 | 0 | 0.00% |
| BALDWIN | 4,305 | 16 | 0.23% |
| BANKS | 1,376 | 0 | 0.00% |
| BARROW | 7,842 | 13 | 0.12% |
| BARTOW | 10,570 | 48 | 0.35% |
| BEN HILL | 1,244 | 2 | 0.11% |
| BERRIEN | 1,125 | 3 | 0.17% |
| BIBB | 19,809 | 5 | 0.02% |
| BLECKLEY | 1,047 | 2 | 0.14% |
| BRANTLEY | 892 | 0 | 0.00% |
| BROOKS | 1,630 | 4 | 0.19% |
| BRYAN | 3,600 | 24 | 0.45% |
| BULLOCH | 6,425 | 14 | 0.16% |
| BURKE | 2,513 | 0 | 0.00% |
| BUTTS | 2,130 | 2 | 0.07% |
| CALHOUN | 591 | 2 | 0.27% |
| CAMDEN | 4,938 | 14 | 0.21% |
| CANDLER | 738 | 0 | 0.00% |
| CARROLL | 9,421 | 0 | 0.00% |
| CATOOSA | 5,157 | 9 | 0.13% |
| CHARLTON | 692 | 6 | 0.63% |
| CHATHAM | 41,138 | 57 | 0.10% |
| CHATTAHOOCHEE | 275 | 0 | 0.00% |
| CHATTOOGA | 1,785 | 4 | 0.18% |
| CHEROKEE | 37,477 | 1 | 0.00% |
| CLARKE | 18,452 | 44 | 0.19% |
| CLAY | 405 | 11 | 2.02% |
| CLAYTON | 31,429 | 16 | 0.04% |
| CLINCH | 359 | 0 | 0.00% |
| COBB | 148,497 | 352 | 0.19% |
| COFFEE | 1,924 | 9 | 0.29% |
| COLQUITT | 2,592 | 5 | 0.13% |
| COLUMBIA | 16,556 | 14 | 0.06% |
| COOK | 1,010 | 2 | 0.14% |
| COWETA | 18,963 | 46 | 0.20% |
| CRAWFORD | 1,090 | 5 | 0.32% |
| CRISP | 1,676 | 4 | 0.17% |
| DADE | 1,022 | 2 | 0.13% |
| DAWSON | 3,053 | 1 | 0.02% |
| DECATUR | 2,317 | 22 | 0.66% |
| DEKALB | 126,942 | 411 | 0.24% |
| DODGE | 1,303 | 0 | 0.00% |
| DOOLY | 738 | 0 | 0.00% |
| DOUGHERTY | 10,335 | 80 | 0.51% |
| DOUGLAS | 19,610 | 19 | 0.07% |
| EARLY | 1,106 | 2 | 0.14% |
| ECHOLS | 157 | 0 | 0.00% |
| EFFINGHAM | 4,920 | 0 | 0.00% |
| ELBERT | 2,041 | 1 | 0.04% |
| EMANUEL | 1,723 | 1 | 0.04% |
| EVANS | 843 | 3 | 0.28% |
| FANNIN | 3,426 | 0 | 0.00% |
| FAYETTE | 18,552 | 0 | 0.00% |
| FLOYD | 8,660 | 0 | 0.00% |
| FORSYTH | 30,644 | 120 | 0.29% |
| FRANKLIN | 2,032 | 0 | 0.00% |
| FULTON | 142,245 | 451 | 0.21% |
| GILMER | 3,479 | 7 | 0.16% |
| GLASCOCK | 261 | 0 | 0.00% |
| GLYNN | 10,192 | 30 | 0.22% |
| GORDON | 4,055 | 8 | 0.15% |
| GRADY | 2,236 | 9 | 0.27% |
| GREENE | 2,817 | 15 | 0.36% |
| GWINNETT | 123,483 | 346 | 0.20% |
| HABERSHAM | 4,246 | 0 | 0.00% |
| HALL | 21,556 | 11 | 0.04% |
| HANCOCK | 1,471 | 3 | 0.16% |
| HARALSON | 2,483 | 0 | 0.00% |
| HARRIS | 4,205 | 0 | 0.00% |
| HART | 2,586 | 2 | 0.05% |
| HEARD | 981 | 0 | 0.00% |
| HENRY | 29,148 | 176 | 0.43% |
| HOUSTON | 20,121 | 22 | 0.08% |
| IRWIN | 614 | 0 | 0.00% |
| JACKSON | 7,290 | 10 | 0.11% |
| JASPER | 1,478 | 0 | 0.00% |
| JEFF DAVIS | 816 | 1 | 0.08% |
| JEFFERSON | 1,691 | 0 | 0.00% |
| JENKINS | 761 | 1 | 0.09% |
| JOHNSON | 757 | 0 | 0.00% |
| JONES | 2,999 | 0 | 0.00% |
| LAMAR | 1,756 | 1 | 0.04% |
| LANIER | 547 | 0 | 0.00% |
| LAURENS | 5,095 | 0 | 0.00% |
| LEE | 2,467 | 24 | 0.70% |
| LIBERTY | 5,492 | 47 | 0.61% |
| LINCOLN | 1,082 | 0 | 0.00% |
| LONG | 756 | 0 | 0.00% |
| LOWNDES | 9,216 | 14 | 0.10% |
| LUMPKIN | 3,298 | 12 | 0.28% |
| MACON | 845 | 2 | 0.14% |
| MADISON | 2,937 | 5 | 0.13% |
| MARION | 775 | 1 | 0.10% |
| MCDUFFIE | 2,429 | 3 | 0.09% |
| MCINTOSH | 1,686 | 8 | 0.34% |
| MERIWETHER | 2,484 | 7 | 0.21% |
| MILLER | 487 | 2 | 0.31% |
| MITCHELL | 2,195 | 0 | 0.00% |
| MONROE | 2,442 | 0 | 0.00% |
| MONTGOMERY | 669 | 0 | 0.00% |
| MORGAN | 1,998 | 14 | 0.50% |
| MURRAY | 2,058 | 1 | 0.04% |
| MUSCOGEE | 24,394 | 0 | 0.00% |
| NEWTON | 15,495 | 49 | 0.25% |
| OCONEE | 5,767 | 16 | 0.22% |
| OGLETHORPE | 1,840 | 2 | 0.08% |
| PAULDING | 20,322 | 44 | 0.17% |
| PEACH | 2,565 | 24 | 0.63% |
| PICKENS | 2,894 | 0 | 0.00% |
| PIERCE | 1,293 | 6 | 0.32% |
| PIKE | 1,449 | 8 | 0.37% |
| POLK | 2,812 | 7 | 0.18% |
| PULASKI | 681 | 0 | 0.00% |
| PUTNAM | 3,276 | 1 | 0.02% |
| QUITMAN | 231 | 0 | 0.00% |
| RABUN | 2,585 | 1 | 0.03% |
| RANDOLPH | 677 | 0 | 0.00% |
| RICHMOND | 27,767 | 119 | 0.31% |
| ROCKDALE | 12,530 | 26 | 0.15% |
| SCHLEY | 317 | 0 | 0.00% |
| SCREVEN | 1,300 | 0 | 0.00% |
| SEMINOLE | 548 | 1 | 0.11% |
| SPALDING | 7,833 | 66 | 0.59% |
| STEPHENS | 2,183 | 0 | 0.00% |
| STEWART | 482 | 2 | 0.31% |
| SUMTER | 2,860 | 7 | 0.17% |
| TALBOT | 1,189 | 0 | 0.00% |
| TALIAFERRO | 302 | 2 | 0.53% |
| TATTNALL | 1,364 | 5 | 0.26% |
| TAYLOR | 778 | 15 | 1.32% |
| TELFAIR | 980 | 6 | 0.46% |
| TERRELL | 1,124 | 2 | 0.13% |
| THOMAS | 4,106 | 0 | 0.00% |
| TIFT | 2,701 | 5 | 0.12% |
| TOOMBS | 2,313 | 10 | 0.32% |
| TOWNS | 1,929 | 5 | 0.19% |
| TREUTLEN | 579 | 5 | 0.62% |
| TROUP | 6,408 | 1 | 0.01% |
| TURNER | 524 | 0 | 0.00% |
| TWIGGS | 1,056 | 7 | 0.49% |
| UNION | 3,564 | 5 | 0.11% |
| UPSON | 2,772 | 0 | 0.00% |
| WALKER | 5,813 | 4 | 0.05% |
| WALTON | 10,394 | 26 | 0.18% |
| WARE | 2,948 | 11 | 0.25% |
| WARREN | 736 | 0 | 0.00% |
| WASHINGTON | 2,487 | 16 | 0.47% |
| WAYNE | 2,109 | 0 | 0.00% |
| WEBSTER | 351 | 0 | 0.00% |
| WHEELER | 387 | 1 | 0.18% |
| WHITE | 3,087 | 5 | 0.12% |
| WHITFIELD | 6,486 | 0 | 0.00% |
| WILCOX | 556 | 4 | 0.52% |
| WILKES | 1,222 | 0 | 0.00% |
| WILKINSON | 859 | 0 | 0.00% |
| WORTH | 1,586 | 4 | 0.18% |
| TOTALS | 1,307,472 | 3,152 | 0.24% |
*Source: Georgia Secretary of State
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