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By Oliver Trapnell
Associate News Editor
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Georgia's secretary of state Brad Raffensperger has launched an investigation after hundreds of midterm election votes in one county were uploaded late, potentially flipping the result.
Raffensperger, who is famous for refusing a plea by Donald Trump to find more votes after the 2020 elections, opened the probe into Seminole County after a memory card was discovered containing several hundred uncounted 2026 Election Day votes.
The discovery of the votes changed the Republican incumbent's 58-vote deficit into a 262-vote lead, meaning the seat could flip back to the GOP if certified by county officials before the deadline of Monday.
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The unofficial result in House District 154, a region in southwest Georgia, now favors Republican Rep. Gerald Greene, who has held a seat in the Georgia House since January 1983, over Democrat Harry James.
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What Happened And Why It Matters
Officials discovered a discrepancy while conducting post election checks between the number of ballots recorded as checked in and the number of ballots cast.
Some 388 more votes were identified by the county’s Board of Elections as a result.
"Georgia's election safeguards are designed to identify discrepancies, and that is exactly what these guardrails did," said Raffensperger.
"Our office identified a significant discrepancy, alerted county officials, and uncovered a failure to properly upload election results. This oversight didn't just affect the numbers—it changed who was leading an election. That is unacceptable, and we intend to find out exactly how it happened."
Newsweek has approached the office of Raffensperger for comment by email.
Reaction
"I'm in disbelief," Greene told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Friday, adding he was "hopeful" the new lead would hold.
James has not yet publicly commented on the reports. Newsweek has contacted him for comment.
House Democratic Leader Carolyn Hugley, who is viewed as a potential candidate for speaker should Democrats retain control of the chamber, said her office is looking into whether further action is needed. Newsweek has contacted her for additional comment.
The missing votes and subsequent investigation sparked wide criticism and conspiracy theories on social media.
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The investigation comes nearly six years after President Donald Trump called Raffensperger and urged him to "find 11,780 votes" following his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 elections. During the hour-long call which became public the following day, Trump repeatedly alleged widespread voter fraud. Raffensperger and his staff rejected the claims, saying all claims had been investigated and disproven.
What happens now?
Raffensperger's investigation is set to determine how the memory card was overlooked, whether election procedures were followed, and any corrective measures to prevent similar incidents in future elections.
He added: "Every vote matters, and in a close election, even a relatively small number of unreported ballots can change the outcome."
Across the state, Democrats appeared to secure control of the Georgia House on Tuesday for the first time in 22 years after unofficial results showed them winning 93 of the 180 seats.
However, should Greene's seat be certified and flipped back, Democrats would sit at 92—just one seat above the 91 needed to have a majority.
Impact on Wider Results
A certified flip would weaken the Democrats’ already thin cushion but one other contest could tip the results further.
In House District 151, Republican Rep. Mike Cheokas will face Democrat Ethan Wolfe in a runoff on December 1 after neither received the votes needed to secure a majority due to an independent candidate.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Trevor Davies
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