News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Putnam County Election Commission Administrator Michele Honeycutt said the state’s expanded absentee balloting is leading to unintended problems.
Honeycutt said voters who requested absentee ballots are showing up to vote in person today. She said those voters will have to fill out a special provisional ballot.
“They can vote a Green Provisional,” Honeycutt said. “They cannot vote on the machine because the Green Provisional we open the next day. If their ballot did come back in the mail, we do not count the provisional. If they didn’t mail their ballot back, we will.”
Honeycutt said once election officials mail a requested ballot, they cannot vote in person. She said the Green Provisional ballots will remain sealed until it is determined whether or not an absentee ballot has been received by the election office.
Davidson County Chancery Court Judge Ellen Hobbs Lyle ruled on June 4 that the state must add a COVID-19 exemption to the list of possible excuses to receive an absentee ballot. Subsequent appeals by state officials to overturn the ruling were unsuccessful.
