The State Election Board in Georgia is currently engaged in a dispute with Fulton County over the monitoring team that is supposed to observe the county’s election practices leading up to the upcoming election. This monitoring team was established as part of a resolution following a complaint against Fulton County from the 2020 election. Despite the State Election Board’s instructions for an agreement on a monitoring team by August, the county and state boards have not been able to reach an agreement. The county supports a team proposed by Ryan Germany and the Atlanta-based Carter Center, while the State Election Board has proposed an alternative slate that includes individuals who questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The disagreement between the county and state boards reached a new level in late August when Fulton County hired its monitoring team without agreement from the state board. The county’s team has been monitoring pre-election practices for over a month now. However, tensions continued to escalate, leading to the Fulton County board filing a lawsuit on Monday to challenge the state board’s authority to force additional monitors selected by certain members of the State Election Board for the 2024 election. At a State Election Board meeting, member Janice Johnston expressed concern that the county was not fulfilling its part of the resolution agreement and proposed subpoenaing election documents from the county clerk of court.
Despite a legal opinion from the state Attorney General Chris Carr stating that the case was closed and could not be reopened, there are ongoing disagreements about the status of the complaint against Fulton County. Fulton County attorneys argue that the approval of the motion in May and the resulting reprimand meant the case was closed, while Johnston and other Republicans on the State Election Board believe there are grounds to revisit the original complaint. Fulton County has been under scrutiny for its election practices since the 2020 election, with former President Trump falsely claiming widespread voter fraud in the county cost him the state.
Fulton County’s elections have been under close watch since the 2020 election, with an agreement reached between the county and the State Election Board to assign an independent monitor to examine election practices. Despite the county showing improvement, there have been ongoing disagreements between the State Election Board and Fulton County over the selection of a monitoring team for the upcoming election. The county and the secretary of state’s office signed off on a team proposed by Germany, but the State Election Board Republicans repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the selection.
The State Election Board and Fulton County are at a stalemate regarding the monitoring team, with the State Election Board continuing to push for changes and Fulton County standing by its proposed team. This disagreement has led to a lawsuit filed by Fulton County questioning the authority of the State Election Board to mandate specific monitors. The issue highlights ongoing tensions surrounding election practices in Georgia and raises questions about the roles and responsibilities of state and county election boards in ensuring fair and accurate elections. The outcome of this dispute could have implications for upcoming elections in Georgia and beyond, as the debate over election integrity continues to be a key issue in the political landscape.
