Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp AP Photo/John Amis, File Some voting machines were reportedly stolen in Cobb County, Georgia, ahead of a high-profile special election.

The machines were allegedly stolen from a precinct manager's car on Saturday, WSB-TV reported Monday night.

The ExpressPoll voting machines are used by poll workers to check voters in and keep a list of who had already voted — but they are not used to cast actual ballots, officials said.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp said the car was parked in a Kroger's grocery store parking lot when the theft took place.

Kemp was unhappy with the way precinct officials handled the matter, saying in a statement it was "unacceptable that the Cobb County Elections Office waited two days to notify my office of this theft."

According to WSB-TV Cobb County Elections Director Janine Eveler assured voters and the press that the stolen machines would not affect the election, as the voter information they contain is difficult to retrieve.

Kemp said that his office was investigating the incident and would be "taking steps to ensure that it has no effect on the election."He said he was "confident that the results will not be compromised."

The special election in Georgia's 6th congressional district will take place April 18th between 18 candidates. It's one of the most closely watched contests because the Democrat frontrunner in the race is Jon Ossoff — a newcomer seen by the Democratic Party as a potential check on President Donald Trump in a solidly red state.

According to the Associated Press, due to the number of candidates on the ballot, if a single candidate fails to clear a majority, the top two candidates will face off on June 20. The special election is taking place to fill the seat of Republican Tom Price, who left his post to work as Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services.