Richmond County voters will be able to observe another part of the election-checking process next week, when the Board of Elections begins a risk-limiting audit of the Nov. 3 general election.
The county’s Nov. 5 public notice sets the start for 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the Board of Elections warehouse, 2029 Lumpkin Road in Augusta.
The notice welcomes observers but says they will not have access to or be allowed to view cast ballots. Anyone planning to attend can call the elections office at 706-821-2340 for information about the observation arrangements.
A paper-ballot check, with broader coverage under state law
A risk-limiting audit uses manual examination of random samples of paper ballots to check reported outcomes. Its scheduled start is not evidence of a problem with the election.
Georgia’s posted 2026 election calendar places the statewide audit window on Nov. 13 through Nov. 17. But its description of a single contest selected by the secretary of state should not be treated as the full current legal requirement.
Senate Bill 3EX, enacted this year, expanded the contests covered by the audit law. It includes the top-of-ballot contest and, when they appear on the ballot, the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general races. It also retains a selection provision for a contest from a further statutory list.
The risk limit has changed from older posted guidance, too. House Bill 974, enacted in 2024, sets the maximum at 6 percent for 2026, rather than the 10 percent still stated in the posted administrative audit rule.
A risk limit is the largest statistical probability that an incorrect outcome escapes detection or correction by the audit. It is not a percentage of votes allowed to be wrong. The procedure can require examination of more ballots before it satisfies the required limit.
The Richmond County notice does not supply the contest list or sample size for its Nov. 13 work. Those operational details should be confirmed with election officials, rather than inferred from older general guidance. The notice also does not identify any local school board race as an audit subject.
What observers can expect
The state’s posted procedural rules provide for a public process with an observation area. Only designated personnel may handle the ballots. Audit teams include at least two sworn designees, and the rules require continuous chain of custody, including a log of ballot-container seal numbers before and after the audit.
For ballots produced by electronic ballot-marking devices, auditors read the printed text. For hand-marked paper ballots, they examine the marked choices. The audit concludes when the selected ballots have been counted and the required risk limit has been met, with results reported to the secretary of state.
The county’s more specific observation notice makes it especially useful to ask ahead about where visitors will stand and what parts of the work they can see. Attending the audit does not authorize an observer to handle a ballot or step into the counting area.
Where it fits on the calendar
The state calendar lists Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. as the county certification deadline and Nov. 20 as the state certification deadline. Those are deadlines, not confirmation that either step has already occurred.
The audit is also distinct from a recount. A recount retabulates votes in a contest, while a risk-limiting audit starts with selected paper ballots and uses statistical methods to test the reported outcome.
GCG’s earlier turnout reporting addressed who participated in this election. Next week’s audit addresses a different question: whether the paper-ballot checks support the reported outcomes in the contests under review. Its findings will have to wait for the work itself.