Takeover of Fulton County’s elections considered
“It’s a chronic problem. They have a history of not running efficient elections, and we need to get to the bottom of why this is. Fulton County elections on its best day is incompetent. We need to see how they can get their house in order.”
– STATE SEN. BRANDON BEACH, A REPUBLICAN FROM ALPHARETTA WHO SUPPORTED TRUMP’S ACCUSATIONS
ATLANTA — With a rising drumbeat of criticism, several Republican Georgia legislators are building a case for the state government to take over Fulton County elections.
The newfound power to fire local elections management, created by Georgia’s voting law, worries voting rights advocates, who say it could be abused for partisan purposes to tamper with the heavily Democratic county.
They see a threat predicated on relentless attacks — from Donald Trump to state lawmakers — that point to problems both real and imagined in the county. Though a state monitor reported sloppy management, three counts of Fulton’s ballots arrived at similar results and state election investigators haven’t found fraud.
Democrat Joe Biden beat Trump in the 2020 election but the Republican and his followers said he was robbed and targeted Fulton County for much of their ire. Judges have thrown out several lawsuits claiming the presidential election was stolen.
Under the new voting law, passed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly this year, the State Election Board could replace a county’s election board after a performance review, audit or investigation, giving a temporary superintendent full authority over vote counting, polling places and staffing.
“What happens if this one single election superintendent refuses to certify any of Fulton’s votes in future elections?” asked Maggie Goldman, a Johns Creek real estate agent running for county commission, during public comment at a recent commission meeting. “That would truly be disenfranchising voters. And don’t think it can’t happen.”
Lawmakers are demanding answers from Fulton, with the possibility that unsatisfactory responses could start the takeover process.
Senate President Pro Tempore Butch Miller, a Gainesville Republican running for lieutenant governor, is considering calling for a performance review based on questions about ballot scanning and audit tally sheet totals. Sen. Burt Jones, a potential Republican rival for lieutenant governor, wants legislative hearings.
House Speaker David Ralston, R-Blue Ridge, proposed a GBI investigation to look for irregularities and fraud. And Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said Fulton’s elections supervisor should be fired.
“All legal and procedural options are on the table if they don’t do their job,” said state Rep. Chuck Martin, a Republican representing the Alpharetta area in Fulton. “That’s not a threat. That’s just good policy.”
A performance review of Fulton’s elections would begin upon request of at least two state representatives and two state senators from the county, according to the Georgia voting law. There are five Republican representatives and three GOP senators among the county’s 33 state legislators.
State Sen. Brandon Beach, a Republican from Alpharetta who supported Trump’s fraud accusations, said he would first want to see more fact-finding before seeking to oust Fulton’s elections board, made up of two Republicans, two Democrats and an appointee of the majority-Democrat county commission.
“It’s a chronic problem. They have a history of not running efficient elections, and we need to get to the bottom of why this is,” Beach said. “Fulton County elections on its best day is incompetent. We need to see how they can get their house in order.”
While legislators could start the takeover process, the decision about whether to do so rests with the State Election Board, made up of three Republicans and one Democrat. The General Assembly removed Raffensperger from the board after he certified last year’s election, refused Trump’s call to “find” more votes and debunked allegations of fraud.
Sara Tindall Ghazal, the Democratic Party’s representative on the State Election Board, said elections should be run by nonpartisan county election workers rather than an appointee beholden to politicians.
“If we really care about election integrity and keeping the process fair, we’re going to remove it as far as possible from election officials,” Ghazal said. “Certain parties in this state want to be in control of elections in 2022 when they’re on the ballot, and elections should always be nonpartisan.”
The head of Fulton’s Senate delegation, Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, said a takeover appears likely.
“They’re absolutely trying to build this record so that when and if the State Election Board wants to come in and take over Fulton County, they’ll have enough of a paper trail to do it,” said Jordan, a Democrat running for attorney general.
Fulton has a record of election difficulties, including a history of long lines, slow results and administrative errors.
The county initially scanned nearly 200 ballots twice before a recount added 121 votes for Trump. Lines stretched over three hours at a Midtown precinct in last year’s primary after several precincts were consolidated into one. Some voters never received the absentee ballots they requested last spring.