Cobb County election officials have informed a Kennesaw City Council candidate who had initially been declared the winner that her campaign actually fell short after a memory card of uncounted votes was discovered, a recent report from FOX 5 Atlanta said.
Election votes were certified in Cobb County on Nov. 15, declaring Madelyn Orochena the winner of a seat on the Kennesaw City Council by 16 votes. This prompted an immediate celebration from the candidate, who said she looked forward to being sworn in the following Monday.
“Unfortunately, once found we did upload [the memory card], and it changed the outcome of the Kennesaw City Council race,” Janine Eveler, Cobb County Elections director, told FOX 5 Atlanta.
Approximately one day after Orochena was declared the winner, she received a call from Cobb County’s Board of Elections that the memory card from one of the precincts had not been uploaded and she had actually fallen short in her election bid.
With the new results in, Lynnette Burnette was declared the winner with 31 votes more than Orochena, prompting Orochena to demand a recount.
“Just trying to gain more information, what is within my rights, so we can be confident whoever wins, wins fairly,” Orochena said following the news.
In all, seven candidates were up for the seat, which became open after Doc Eaton stepped down this past June when Wildman’s Civil War Surplus shop re-opened. The store, which was packed with hundreds of Confederate flags stuffed in between KKK materials, had been on Main Street since 1971. Eaton took issue with the store’s re-opening.
