BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — The State Election Board announced Thursday it will not take over Fulton County elections at this time, despite expressing sharp criticism of local operations during a hearing in Winder.
The decision follows a recent federal raid on the county’s election hub where investigators seized hundreds of boxes of ballots.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot was at the hearing in Barrow County three weeks after the FBI raided the Fulton County elections hub and seized 700 boxes of 2020 ballots.
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Under Georgia law, the state has the authority to take over county election boards, a prospect that has drawn significant concern from local community leaders and voting rights advocates.
The State Election Board met for seven hours to address voting issues throughout Georgia.
During the proceedings, board members were critical of both the Fulton County elections office and the Secretary of State’s office.
Despite the criticism, officials confirmed there are no immediate plans to replace local leadership following the recent federal activity at the county’s election hub.
Janelle King, a member of the State Election Board, indicated that future decisions depend on the results of federal inquiries.
“I’m waiting to see what happens with the DOJ and the FBI seizure and see what comes out of that,” King said.
While the board declined to act on Thursday, King emphasized that the body possesses the legal right to intervene in local election management.
“You know, we are aware that we do have the authority to take over the board, but there’s no decisions have been made. And I don’t think they will be until we see what happened with this investigation,” King said.
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She warned that she believes there is already evidence of significant problems within the Fulton County system.
“I mean, we have enough. We have, I would say we have probable cause to show that there is some issues. There are major issues actually going on in Fulton County. However, that’s something that we are not looking to do as of today,” King said.
Outside the courthouse, a collection of Black clergy members gathered to condemn the possibility of a state takeover. Dr. Jonathan Augustine of Big Bethel AME Church urged citizens to monitor the situation closely.
“Stay engaged. Be sure you are not asleep. Be sure you’re not taking anything for granted. Make sure you are registered to vote. Double check your registration,” Augustine said.
The State Election Board is expected to revisit the matter after the Department of Justice and FBI conclude their investigation into the seized 2020 ballots.
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