MACON, Ga. — The Georgia Election Board is investigating eight counties around the state, and Bibb County is one of them.
The board says the investigations concern how the counties handled challenges to voter registration.
Bibb County Republican Party Chairman David Sumrall is leading the efforts in Bibb County to challenge the current status of voter rolls that he says contain hundreds of 'ineligible' voters.
"They remain on the voter roll because the voter rolls are so dirty with people that have moved away, people that have died, duplicate registrations, bad addresses, things that are just not being cleaned up," Sumrall said.
These are just a few of the reasons why Sumrall has made two attempts to challenge the Bibb board of elections this year. He also questioned the voters' residency, arguing it was illegal for them to vote under their listed addresses.
In April, Sumrall submitted 3 voter challenges to the board. They were denied since they were submitted within a 90-day window of a federal election. After the May primary, Sumrall submitted them again, and they were heard on July 1.
Sumrall challenged three sets of voters, including 159 people who listed their address as Mercer University's student center. That's where mail goes for students and some staff.
He also challenged more than 40 voters whose addresses were registered at P.O. boxes. The board accepted that challenge, and issued notices for those voters to update their residence.
The board rejected Sumrall's other 2 challenges that involved voters who lived out of state.
"We're kind of at a stalemate," Sumrall said. "It does mean [it is] no use to go and do more voter challenges at the Bibb County Board of elections if it's gonna lose by a 3 to 2 vote."
He says he then asked the state election board to investigate and provide guidance on voter roll challenges.
Yesterday, he spoke about those challenges with the board at The Capitol.
"We need the state board of elections to give guidance to our counties," Sumrall said. "It could come from the secretary of state's office, it could come from a judge telling our counties what they need to do."
13WMAZ reached out to the Bibb County Board of Elections who declined to comment on the active investigation.