his image depicts a scene from a hand recount of ballots in DeKalb County, Georgia, following the May 2022 Democratic primary for the District 2 County Commission seat.
- Hand Recount Context: The recount was ordered after candidate Michelle Long Spears discovered that electronic tabulation reported she received zero votes in her own precinct.
- Discrepancies Identified: The hand recount revealed that the initial machine count failed to tabulate over 2,600 ballots, which significantly altered the race's results.
- Cause of Error: Election officials attributed the discrepancy to a programming issue related to ballot alignment after a candidate withdrew from the race, rather than malicious hacking.
- Result Verification: This incident highlights the role of post-election audits and paper ballots in verifying electronic voting results.
