MOULTRIE, Ga. – It’s 245 and counting.

As of late Monday morning, that’s how many Colquitt County residents added their names as newly registered voters, according to Registrar Paula McCullough. Monday, Dec. 7, was the deadline to register ahead of the Jan. 5 runoff Election Day, and McCullough said there were others still to be processed at the time she spoke with The Observer.

According to the Georgia Secretary of State’s website, all of Georgia’s 159 counties reported recounted votes for the Nov. 3 Presidential election, and it still showed a thin margin of victory in the state for Democratic candidate Joe Biden. However, in Colquitt County, the vast majority of voters still chose incumbent Republican Donald Trump.

The latest update was posted near the close of business on Friday, Dec. 4, with Biden receiving 49.5 percent of nearly five million votes. Trump’s 2,461,873 votes represented 49.26 percent of the total.

At 9:43 a.m. on Dec. 2, the deadline set by the state to submit recounted votes, Colquitt County turned in 11,777 for Trump (73.21 percent) and 4,190 for Biden.

After Election Day, Colquitt County’s original vote total was 11,766 for Trump to 4,182 for Biden; this did not include provisional votes. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ordered an audit, or hand recount, of ballots statewide, and on Nov. 16 new totals in Colquitt were 11,778 for Trump and 4,189 for Biden.

The third recount, which officially began the week of Thanksgiving but did not begin in Colquitt until Nov. 30, was at the request of the Trump campaign and based on the slim margin of victory for Biden.

“Our numbers were pretty straightforward,” said Colquitt’s Elections Superintendent Wes Lewis. “We didn’t see a lot of variation.”

Even with a difference of one or two votes for each candidate, Lewis said that is explained by using “human eyes” that find things – like an undervote or overvote – the machines don’t.

“I can say unequivocally we have not seen any fraud patterns,” said Lewis, not just talking about Colquitt County but the state as a whole. “I have faith in the process.”

Lewis said it would take all of Georgia’s 159 counties to be “in cahoots” to pull off voter fraud, but that he hasn’t seen anything like that in 16 years of working elections. He also believes the state legislature will look into ways of improving the mail voting system as the numbers of those wishing to vote by mail increases.

Raffensperger said in a press conference Monday morning, “We have now counted legally cast ballots three times, and the results remain unchanged.” He re-certified Georgia’s results Monday; the federal deadline to name electors is Tuesday, Dec. 8. 

On Dec. 14, the Electoral College will meet to cast its votes for President of the United States.

While the presidential election appears to be winding down, both of Georgia’s senate seats are still contested. A runoff election scheduled for Jan. 5 includes both senate races as well as one of the state’s Public Service Commissioner races. Any registered Georgia voter can vote in the Jan. 5 runoff, whether they voted Nov. 3 or not.

McCullough said her office is making sure all new registrants have all appropriate documents, including residency verification. The Secretary of State’s office has warned of out-of-state residents trying to move to Georgia just to vote in the election, which will determine the balance of power in the Senate.

Early voting for the runoff will begin Dec. 14. It will be held 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Dec. 31, except for Saturdays, Sundays and Dec. 24-25, in Room 201 of the Colquitt County Courthouse Annex, 101 E. Central Ave. 

Lewis said the public is welcome to observe the preparations for this election. The equipment is being tested this week, he said, and though it is not the most exciting process, he added people who are observing their work are gaining a greater appreciation for it.

“We have a good team,” said Lewis. “We’re not perfect, but we want to be diligent. We are ready to proceed. I hope voters will have faith in the system. We want it to be open, fair and transparent. I welcome any concerns and will try to explain things the best I can.”