Election board member in Georgia’s Fulton County abstains from certifying primary election

ATLANTA– The board of elections in Georgia’s largest county voted Tuesday to certify the May 21 election results, but not before one of the board’s Republican-appointed members abstained.

The abstention by Fulton County Board of Elections member Julie Adams is consistent with her lawsuit seeking to tighten control of election operations and win a legal ruling finding that county boards of elections can refuse to release election results.

Reading a prepared statement, Adams argued that she could not accept the results given previous problems with the county’s election administration, and argued that the board illegally delegated its powers to employees.

“It is time to fix the problems in our elections by ensuring compliance with the law, transparency in election conduct and accuracy of results,” Adams said. “And in my duty as a board member, I want to make sure that happens.”

The other four members, including Republican appointee Michael Heekin, voted to certify the results in what elections director Nadine Williams called a “very successful election.”

There is talk of a section of Georgia law that says county officials “shall” certify the results after going through a process to ensure they are accurate. Those who disagree with Adams, including the Democratic Party of Georgia, argue that the law gives county election board members no leeway to vote against certifying the results, and say the lawsuit is a ploy by supporters of Donald Trump.

“Trump and MAGA Republicans have made clear they intend to try to block the certification of the November elections if they are defeated again, and this is a transparent effort to clear the way for that fight,” says Democratic Party Chairman and U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams. said in a statement when the party intervened in the lawsuit on Friday.

The lawsuit, backed by the Trump-affiliated America First Policy Institute, argues that members of the county election board have the authority to reject the certification. It’s not clear what would happen if a county refused to certify, though the dispute would likely end up in court. A protracted battle after the November general election could keep Georgia from delivering its 16 electoral votes on time or prevent officials including county sheriffs and state lawmakers from taking office in January.

Adams asked Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville to grant her temporary relief before Tuesday’s vote to certify the May 21 primary, but he took no action. The lawsuit is against the Fulton County Board of Registrations and Elections, of which Adams is a member. The board has not yet responded to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit also cites a list of materials that Adams claimed she should have access to before she was asked to vote on certification. During proceedings Tuesday, the board voted to grant its members access to at least one of the items sought in the lawsuit: envelopes that voters use to send their absentee ballots to the county.

Some other documents sought in the lawsuit may also have been provided — spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez declined to provide a complete list, saying only that staff had provided “extensive documentation to board members to answer their questions about the May 21 primary.” . election.”

Heekin, the other Republican board member, was largely complimentary about the information provided Tuesday.

“It was very useful in evaluating performance in the elections, and I hope we will look at this as a warm-up for the fall,” he said, adding that he would like to find ways to make the examination of documents smoother To let expire.

But Adams said she believed she would need “days” to evaluate whether the results were accurate.

She also states that the board must take back its powers from its employees, including the director.

“The BRE is currently window dressing, and that cannot be the correct interpretation of the law,” Adams said. “Currently, all major decisions are made by staff and behind closed doors. If we don’t have transparency towards the board, what does that say about the transparency towards the people we serve?”

However, board chair Cathy Woolard has pushed back on that claim, saying the board is ultimately in charge of the staff.

“We speak with one voice to our director, who then passes this direction on to the rest of the staff,” Woolard said.

Aaron Johnson, a Democratic appointee to the board, disagreed with Adams’ position, saying she ignored improvements the county of one million residents has made in conducting elections.

“The problem we have in Fulton County is the continued misrepresentation of what is really going on,” Johnson said.