The Fulton County Election Board on Thursday approved hiring five independent election monitors, complying with an order from a state panel related to the county’s handling of errors in the 2020 general election.
In a 3-2 vote, the Fulton board approved monitors to observe and report on operations in the county beginning in August and continuing through the November election. The plan now returns to the State Election Board for final approval at its August meeting.
If the plan is approved, the monitors will be Lynn Bailey, retired Richmond County election director; Ryan Germany, former general counsel for the secretary of state’s office; Carter Jones, a former independent election monitor in the 2020 general election; Matt Mashburn, a former member and acting chairman of the State Election Board; and Monica Childers, a U.S. Election Assistance Commission member.
Despite the plan’s approval from the secretary of state’s office, Republican board members Michael Heekin and Julie Adams disputed whether it was the best option.
“I think that it is wrong to use the 2020 team again for 2024,” Adams said, referring to the naming of Jones to the monitor team.
In May, the state board reprimanded Fulton and called for the monitors, finding the county likely double-scanned over 3,000 ballots during a recount of the 2020 election results.
The investigation into Fulton’s handling of the 2020 election, which included two machine ballot recounts and one hand recount, spotted errors but no indication of election fraud. In May, the state board threatened to open another investigation into the county’s handling of the 2020 election if Fulton disregarded the ordered monitors.
Fulton has been scrutinized for years for its record of election difficulties. In 2020, Jones found the county’s election was sloppy, but in his nearly 270 hours of monitoring, he found no indication of fraud.
Board member Aaron Johnson said keeping Jones on the team from 2020 benefits the county.
“So he, in my opinion, has the ability to say, ‘I came in, I was a monitor assigned by the State Election Board, I know what they did in 2020. I can see what changes they made, I can see what’s going on in 2024 and I can honestly say whether or not there are discrepancies, there is fraud or anything else,’ ” Johnson said.
Johnson went on to criticize an alternate proposal sent from the State Election Board that included partisan activists who have made unproved election fraud accusations as proposed monitors. The Fulton board did not accept that alternate proposal.
“I can’t support a proposal that has people who are currently suing us listed as monitors,” Johnson said.
The plan will cost $100,000 in county funds to pay the monitors.
Each monitor is expected to file periodic findings and a final report in November. These filings will provide a comprehensive review of election operations and recommendations for the county.
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