News from Ga:

The City of Sparta plans to use paper ballots instead of Hancock County’s electronic voting machines in their November election.

This election will be the first time the City of Sparta has done an election without the help of the Hancock County Board of Elections, and this change leaves some residents scratching their heads.

“Some citizens who were actually in on the meeting had come to the office and expressed that they maybe wanted to file a complaint about the city actually using paper ballots,” said Hancock County Elections Supervisor Tiffany Medlock.

The City of Sparta first approached the Hancock Board of Elections with an agreement for the county to let them use their electronic voting machines, but after the board revised the agreement and agreed to lend them the machines, the city never answered back.

I’ve heard from one reader who expresses concern that the switch is motivated by a corrupt city machine, and asks if it is possible to have outside election monitors.  I don’t know what the situation is in Sparta, but this does seem strange.