Elections Office: Data Breach Does Not Compromise Integrity of Vote

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In the aftermath of the data breach reported at the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office, officials at the local level are assuring residents that the integrity of the voting process remains as solid as ever.

The Bartow County Board of Elections and Voter Registration Office said on Thursday that the breach, which was reported earlier this week, “in no way impacts the integrity of the elections process.”

“The safeguards that protect each vote cast in our county are still in place, ensuring that we conduct accurate and impartial elections,” the office said.

Bartow elections officials said all inquiries about the data breach will be directed to the Secretary of State’s Elections Division at (404) 656-2881.

\However, if you do have questions about your individual registration record, they do encourage you to contact them at (770) 387-5098 for information.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday in Fulton County Superior Court accuses Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp’s office of releasing Social Security numbers and other private information of more than 6 million Georgians to 12 groups comprising of news media, political organizations and other institutions.

It also alleges the office released the information to subscribers who legally buy voter information from the state, and that Kemp failed to notify those individuals that their personal information may have been compromised.

On Thursday, Kemp said in a statement that the breach was due to a “clerical error” in the IT Division, and the employee responsible for the incident has been terminated.

Patch editor Tim Darnell contributed to this article.

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