Ben Adida says forgetting a memory card happens because tabulators are not networked
Ben AdidaExecutive director of VotingWorks, posting on Bluesky
Adida explains that ballot tabulators store results on memory cards that are not connected to the internet or to each other, and says forgetting a memory card happens.
Responding to
The Seminole County Board of Elections did not upload a memory card containing Election Day results into the county's election management system, leaving about 388 ballots out of the county's reported count until the Secretary of State's office flagged the gap.
“Ballot tabulators scan paper ballots and store the data on memory cards. They're not connected to the Internet or to each other, so forgetting a memory card happens.”
Original post
Where this statement fits
Raffensperger says Seminole County's failure to upload a memory card reversed a Georgia House race; county says no card was missing
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said on November 6 that Seminole County had not uploaded a memory card holding about 388 Election Day votes, and that adding them put Republican Rep. Gerald Greene 262 votes ahead of Democrat Harry James in House District 154. The county's elections supervisor says no card was missing and that the county's election software had not finished processing the last precinct's card.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Ben Adida, executive director of VotingWorks, explains on Bluesky that ballot tabulators scan paper ballots and store the results on memory cards that are not networked, and links The Current's report on the Seminole County card.
Before the quotation
Adida opens by asking how a found memory card of uncounted ballots can change the winner of a race.
After the quotation
He links The Current's report that a missing memory card in Seminole County reversed the apparent outcome of a Georgia state House race and put Greene ahead of James by 262 votes.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Seminole County's handling of its November 3, 2026 Election Day count, which left about 388 ballots out of the reported results until the Secretary of State's office flagged the gap on November 6. Adida treats a forgotten memory card as an expected risk of offline tabulators, which downplays the seriousness of the county's omission rather than criticizing it.
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More from this case
Read the full caseHarry James says citizens lose when the election process does not work as it should
“It's not Harry James that loses. It's the citizens ... when our democracy doesn't work the way it's supposed to”Read statement
Gabriel Sterling calls the Seminole County card a single human error and says the outcome reflects voters' intent
“This election in Georgia and nationwide was the smoothest, most well run one likely ever. This issue was discovered in canvassing which is in part why it is done to get to certification. There are over 10,000 election jurisdictions, with nearly 30k polling locations. In GA, nearly 2,600. This was a single memory card. It was a close election. Humans again are always the weakest parts of the system. That is training people and robust processes are so necessary. The outcome is what the voters intended and that is the most important point here.”Read statement
Seminole County elections supervisor says no memory card was missing
“There was NO memory card "discovered," "missing," or "found". All precinct card chain of custody protocols were followed, and all memory cards were accounted for by the Seminole County Board of Elections on election night.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Ben Adida says forgetting a memory card happens because tabulators are not networked". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/8394-adida-explains-that-ballot-tabulators-store-results-on