Georgia GOP starts push for takeover of local election board

Republican lawmakers in Georgia have started a process that could lead to a takeover of elections in the state’s most populous county. Many in the GOP continue to claim wrongdoing in reliably Democratic Fulton County had stolen the 2020 election from Donald Trump, even though an independent monitor found no evidence of fraud or impropriety.

Lawmakers are using a tool created by the state’s sweeping new election law to exert influence over local elections. Democrats and voting rights advocates decry the takeover provision as an invitation for political interference. The county, with about 11% of the state’s electorate, includes most of the city of Atlanta. But Fulton County has been plagued with problems for years and Republicans say it’s time for answers.

State House Speaker Pro Tem Jan Jones and four other GOP state representatives whose districts include parts of

Fulton submitted a letter Friday to the State Election Board demanding a performance review of the county’s board of registration and elections.

State Democratic Party Executive Director Scott Hogan said in a statement that the takeover effort is “a shameless Republican power grab designed to suppress voters and inject partisan politics into our elections.”

Under the law that Georgia Republicans pushed through this year, the letters could lead to the State Election Board removing Fulton’s five-member election board. But there remains uncertainty about how the process would work.