(Elyse Apel, The Center Square) The Georgia Election Board voted Wednesday to reopen an investigation into the 2020 election results from Fulton County.
Located in the heart of Atlanta, the most populous county in the state has been the epicenter for many accusations of fraud in the 2020 election.
The election board, with 3-2 majority Republicans, voted on party lines for the state Attorney General’s office to open another probe.
The investigation was first closed on May 7, but was reopened because of additional concerns about “missing ballot images, duplicated recount votes, and missing documents.”
At that time, the county received a letter of reprimand from the election board.
This time, the board ordered the attorney general report within 30 days and use “outside investigators” to look into the board.
When the motion was brought up for a vote, Democratic Chairman John Fervier said he is concerned about the legal repercussions the board might face.
“I would strongly advise the board to vote against that,” Fervier said. “It’s in violation of a lot of things. I believe that it potentially puts this board in legal jeopardy.”
Board member and state Rep. Janelle King pushed back on Fervier.
“The amount of times I’ve been told not to do something because we could possibly be sued,” King said. “We have to make sure we are not . . . scared to make moves because of the fear of that, because in some cases, it is just the right thing to do.”
Former President Donald Trump reacted quickly to the board’s decision.
“The Attorney General of Georgia MUST get moving on this. So must Governor Kemp, and the Secretary of State. It’s Fulton County again. Why aren’t they doing this? What is going on? We can’t let this happen again. WE MUST WIN GEORGIA IN 2024!!! The Governor and A.G. MUST LEAD,” he posted on social media.
In 2020, President Joe Biden won the heavily Democratic country with 73% of the vote.
In contrast, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won 68% of the county’s vote in the 2016 election.
The Attorney General’s Office has not yet received the request, according to Kara Murray, communications director and spokeswoman for Attorney General Chris Carr.
“We take election integrity very seriously, and we will apply the constitution, the law, and the facts as we have always done,” Murray told The Center Square. “If supported by evidence, we will not hesitate to prosecute voter fraud.”
