Duplicate absentee ballots mistakenly mailed to hundreds of Berkeley County voters, officials investigating cause

BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)- Duplicate absentee ballots were mistakenly mailed to hundreds of registered voters in Berkeley County this week, and officials are now working to learn how it happened.

The error, which was deemed “clerical” by the South Carolina Election Commission, resulted in approximately 488 voters receiving more than one ballot for the 2024 general election, according to the county.

The Berkeley County Voter Registration and Elections Office is investigating, but officials said no evidence of the so-called “clerical error” was found in its reporting systems. The office is, however, reviewing its absentee ballot data input and reporting processes.

Officials reminded voters that it is against South Carolina law to vote more than once in the same election and that the county has safeguards to prevent ballots from being double-counted.

A similar issue in Dorchester County resulted in duplicate ballots being sent to an estimated 100 voters.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the upcoming election is 5 p.m. on October 25.

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