AJC:

Election officials in Fulton County are refusing to accept emailed absentee ballot requests, an apparent violation of Georgia voting laws.

The county’s decision to reject emailed absentee ballot applications comes after it struggled to manage a flood of requests before the June 9 primary election. Many voters in Fulton, the most populous county in the state, said they never received their absentee ballots, forcing them to wait in line for hours to vote in person during the coronavirus pandemic.

Voters who email absentee requests for the Aug. 11 runoff election are receiving a response from Fulton asking them to instead send paper absentee applications by mail.

Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs said the county’s refusal to accept emailed absentee applications highlights the difficulties it has running elections. The secretary of state’s office has said 70% of problems during the primary were concentrated in Fulton.