ISFED Presses CEC for Transparency on Voter Data; CEC Responds, Dismissing Allegations of Manipulation
By Liza Mchedlidze
Thursday, November 14, 2024
The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) has urged Georgia's Central Election Commission (CEC) to address outstanding questions about the accuracy and transparency of voter data from the October 26 elections. ISFED called on the CEC to disclose receipts, reports on voter turnout, and detailed data on the gender composition of voters at each polling station.
ISFED contends that the CEC has yet to clarify critical concerns raised in its November 7 statement, which questioned anomalies in gender-specific voting patterns. According to ISFED, unusually high discrepancies in male and female voter turnout at certain polling stations raise doubts about the integrity of the data, which could indicate irregularities in the voting process.
"If the CEC rules out data collection errors, the significant deviations in gender-based voter activity could suggest manipulation during the election process," ISFED stated. They also pointed out that the CEC has not yet provided gender breakdowns of voters listed on special lists at each precinct, leaving questions around voter composition unanswered.
The CEC acknowledged minor errors in the data ISFED received, attributing inaccuracies in 11 precincts to human error. However, the CEC dismissed ISFED's concerns as exaggerated, accusing the organization of manipulating these minor inconsistencies into claims of widespread electoral fraud.
CEC officials called ISFED's framing of these inaccuracies "frivolous." Despite the CEC's assurances, ISFED maintains that without full transparency, unresolved questions will continue to cast a shadow over the election's integrity.
