Georgia official claims 1,000 double votes in statewide primary

Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Tuesday that there were 1,000 cases of "potential double voting" in Georgia's June 9 primary, where individuals voted by absentee ballot as well as in person.

"We're talking about 1,000 people statewide," in 100 counties, Raffensperger told reporters, without offering any evidence. "The voters knew what they were doing."

"Double voting is a felony. It's a minimum of one year in prison, up to 10 years and a fine of up to $100,000," he said. "We will prosecute."

Common Cause Georgia called Raffensperger's "speculation" about possible double-voting "irresponsible."

"Voters should not be penalized for the failures of elections administrators. Voters also should not be subjected to inflammatory allegations by the state's top elections officials," Aunna Dennis, Executive Director of Common Cause Georgia, said in a statement.

Raffensperger said information on the cases would be turned over to the state Attorney General's office as well as local prosecutors.

He said that "some of those" double votes were counted, but they did not affect the outcome of any election.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has additional information from Raffensperger's news conference.