ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia's Fulton County, where past elections have been marred by long lines, slow precinct reporting and even false claims of voter fraud, conducted an "organized and orderly" election last year, a team of independent monitors found.
President Donald Trump and his supporters claimed without evidence that election fraud in the state's most populous county, which includes most of Atlanta, cost him victory in Georgia in 2020. Given its past election problems, Republicans have repeatedly sought extra oversight of voting in the Democratic stronghold.
After national scrutiny of Fulton County's election processes in 2020, county leaders implemented wide-ranging changes, including replacing the elections department leadership and building a new elections hub and operations center. That seems to have paid off, with the independent monitors finding “substantial improvement” in the county's election implementation last year compared to four years earlier.
“The overall conclusion was that Fulton County conducted an organized and orderly election process that enabled voters to cast their votes securely and conveniently and ensured that votes were tabulated accurately,” according to the monitors' report made public Thursday.
Centralizing operations at a single hub facilitates public access, decreases the risk of miscommunication and improves security, the report says. A wireless inventory management system implemented after 2020 improves security and the tracking of equipment. The team also observed good documentation, as well as organized and secure chain of custody practices, the report says.
The observers recommended some changes, including increased transparency to help the public understand the process. They also recommended publicizing times, dates and locations for absentee ballot return in advance to avoid a last-minute announcement and confusion over whether observers were allowed to watch as happened the weekend before the November election. And they said the county needs to do more to ensure that observers, poll workers and other voters can't see a voter's selections on the large touchscreens on voting machines.
The county election board includes two members appointed by the county Republican Party, two members appointed by the county Democratic Party and a chairperson. The observers noted that board meetings sometimes seemed especially contentious and suggested that the county’s voters “could be better served by a more collegial and cooperative approach.”
Members of the observation team presented their findings at an election board meeting Thursday. Most of the board members said they wanted to thoroughly read and digest the report before offering any comment or asking questions.
This wasn't the first time the county's elections have been monitored. After a disastrous primary election in 2020, an independent monitor was engaged to examine the county's election practices during the general election as part of an agreement with the State Election Board. He documented "sloppy processes" and "systemic disorganization" but found no evidence of illegality or fraud.
The state board in 2021 embarked on a nearly two-year performance review of the county's election practices at the request of Republican state lawmakers, including monitoring the 2022 midterm elections. The review panel found that the county had shown considerable improvement, leading the State Election Board to vote not to take over the county's elections.
To resolve a case against Fulton County involving double-scanning some ballots during an election recount in 2020, the state board voted in May of last year to appoint a monitor to observe the county’s elections and election processes for the 2024 general election.
The choice of monitor was to be approved by the county, the State Election Board and the secretary of state's office. The Trump-endorsed majority on the State Election Board did not agree with the monitoring team selected by the county and approved by the secretary of state's office. But with the election fast-approaching and no agreement having been reached, the county in September went ahead and hired the team it had chosen.
The team included Carter Jones, who was the independent monitor in 2020, and Ryan Germany, former general counsel for the secretary of state's office who was on the performance review team appointed in 2021, as well as former Republican State Election Board member Matt Mashburn and former Richmond County elections executive director Lynn Bailey. They partnered with the Atlanta-based Carter Center, which observes elections all over the world.
The effort aimed to be “impartial, transparent, and process-oriented” with observation happening from September through November, during pre-election preparations, early and Election Day voting and a post-election audit. The observers found the county elections staff to be “dedicated and hardworking” and said they administered a “smooth, secure and accurate election.”
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