ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s most populous district has had troubles with its elections in the past, but it has also improved significantly and the state should not step in to take over its elections, a bipartisan review panel said.
The state election board appointed the three-member body in August 2021 after the Republican legislature used a provision of a comprehensive election law passed earlier in the year to request a review of Fulton County’s handling of elections. The report was presented to the Executive Board and the Office of the Secretary of State on Friday.
Fulton County encompasses most of the city of Atlanta and is home to about 11% of the state’s electorate. As a Democratic stronghold, it has long been targeted by Republicans.
According to the report, Fulton County’s elections in recent years have been plagued by “disorganization and a lack of urgency in resolving issues.” But it also said the county “improved significantly” from 2020 to 2022, with former employees leaving and “new employees can bring renewed energy and commitment.”
The Fulton County Board of Elections and Registration is a driving force behind these improvements, the report said.
“Replacing the board would not be helpful and would actually hamper ongoing improvements in Fulton County’s elections,” it said.
District officials welcomed the results.
“The Performance Review Board report validates what we already know — our employees work every day to serve Fulton County voters and conduct free and fair elections in accordance with the law,” said Cathy Woolard, chair of the Fulton Elections Committee , in a press release .
State Elections Committee Chairman William Duffey said last month that the committee would consider the panel’s recommendations at its Feb. 7 meeting.
Republican lawmakers whose counties include portions of Fulton filed a letter to the state electoral commission in July 2021, noting the history of the county’s problems and requesting answers.
Former President Donald Trump had focused on the county after losing Georgia by a narrow margin in the November 2020 general election. In phone calls with state election officials and in public statements, Trump made unsubstantiated allegations of widespread voter fraud in Fulton.
Actions he took when trying to overturn his election loss, including a call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, prompted Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to launch an ongoing investigation into whether Trump and others illegally interfered in the state’s elections .
The review panel, appointed by the State Election Board, included Stephen Day, a Democratic commissioner for the Gwinnett County Board of Elections; Ricky Kittle, a Republican nominee for the Catoosa County Board of Elections; and Ryan Germany, General Counsel for the Office of the Secretary of State.
The panel reviewed the county’s performance in 2020 and monitored operations before, on and after Election Day for the 2021 municipal election and the 2022 primary and general election, the report said. The panel also drew on the help of the Carter Center, which regularly monitors elections around the world, and was invited to observe the 2022 Fulton County general election.
The district has “a long and well-documented history of problems in the administration of elections,” the report said, including long lines and inefficiency in reporting results. Its shortcomings were particularly pronounced during the 2020 primary, leading to a consent order between the county and the state election commission that included the appointment of an independent observer for that year’s general election.
That monitor, Carter Jones, said he found shoddy practices and poor management but no evidence of “any dishonesty, fraud or willful misconduct”.
Many of the county’s problems in 2020 stemmed from or were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but some of the county’s responses to it made things worse, the panel noted.
The county’s election process was better organized in 2022 than in 2021, showing an improvement from 2020, the report said. A number of changes, including implementing an inventory tracking system for voting equipment, creating new management positions and filling others, helped spread responsibility and improve performance in key areas, according to the report.
The panel did, however, recommend areas for additional improvement, such as poll worker training, general organization and review of the polling station layout.
The controversial takeover provision in the 2021 election law allows state legislators representing a county to request a review of local election officials and their practices. The state electoral board must then appoint an examination body that is obliged to investigate and prepare an expert opinion.
If the State Council finds evidence that county officials violated provincial election law or rules three times in the previous two election cycles and failed to remedy violations, it could eventually suspend the county council. The law also states that the state board could remove the county board if it finds that the county board has shown “non-compliance, misconduct, or gross negligence” in at least two elections over two years.
If a district executive is removed, the state executive would appoint an interim administrator.
Democrats and voting rights activists complained when the law was passed that the takeover rule would open the door to political interference in local elections and could suppress voter turnout. Republicans said it was necessary to make sure county election officials were following the law.
