THE STORY SO FAR

Ralph Jones Sr., a high-ranking official in Fulton County’s Department of Registration and Elections, was also the registered agent for RJ Mays Consulting, a business that was paid more than $3,600 by Keisha Lance Bottoms’ mayoral campaign.

Jones’ son, Ralph Jones Jr., said the business was his and his father had no financial stake and no role in its daily operations.

But experts said being the registered agent for the company was a potential conflict of interest. Jones Sr. oversees the county’s master voter list, mails absentee ballots and performs other elections-related duties. Bottoms won the hotly contested mayoral race by 821 votes in a December runoff.

The secretary of state’s office launched an investigation into potential election irregularities this spring after several people complained they were not able to vote absentee in the runoff election.