CEC refutes opposition’s allegations of ballot marker tampering

Georgia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) on Wednesday rejected opposition claims that ballot markers used in the October 26 general elections had been tampered with and called the accusations “entirely false” and an attempt to mislead the public.

The controversy arose after Tina Bokuchava, leader of the Unity-National Movement, alleged that the CEC had swapped the official markers, supplied by the UK-based company Smartmatic, for non-branded ones just before the elections.

In its official response, the CEC emphasized that the markers used during the elections were indeed provided by Smartmatic. The commission also pointed to a signed contract and “publicly available documentation” confirming the use of branded markers, available in the state procurement system. The CEC stressed that the allegations were without basis and part of an effort to mislead voters.