by WorldTribune Staff, October 9, 2024 Contract With Our Readers
A battle is raging over who counts the votes in the key 2024 election swing state of Georgia.
The Fulton County Election Board on Monday sued the Georgia State Elections Board, asking a judge to declare that the state board lacks the authority to force the Fulton board “to accept, and Fulton County to pay for, additional monitors for the 2024 election that have been hand-picked by certain State Election Board members.”
The Georgia State Elections Board responded on Tuesday by voting 3-2 to subpoena a trove of 2020 election documents from the Fulton County clerk of court, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
The documents reportedly include consolidated return sheets, opening and closing tapes, daily recap sheets from early voting, poll pad recap sheets, absentee ballot recap sheets, ballot images, log files, tabulation files, a numbered voter list, absentee numbered list of voters, absentee ballot oath envelopes.
In May, the State Election Board found that Fulton County violated some parts of the state election code. The state board voted to issue a letter of reprimand, which included instructions for an agreement on a mutually acceptable monitor to be entered into by the board’s August meeting.
The county and state election boards have not been able to reach an agreement. The county favors a monitoring team it has already approved that was proposed by Ryan Germany, a former chief lawyer for the secretary of state’s office, and the Atlanta-based Carter Center. The state board has proposed an alternative slate that includes people who questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The Republican majority on the state board repeatedly said during meetings in August that they did not approve of the county’s team. However, the county board reaffirmed its selection, and county commissioners voted to approve the contract days later.
An Aug. 19 legal opinion, written by state Attorney General Chris Carr and obtained by The Associated Press, says final decisions of the State Election Board are “preclusive” and that “re-litigation of all claims which have already been adjudicated, or which could have been adjudicated, is therefore prohibited.” Fulton County attorneys assert that the approval of the motion at the May meeting and resulting reprimand meant the case is closed and cannot be reopened, and that “argument is likely correct,” Carr wrote.
Meanwhile, state election board member Dr. Janice Johnston, during a Tuesday meeting called for discussion on encryption keys as soon as possible.
“It appears to be a serious problem and we are not far from the beginning of early voting,” Johnston said. “I’d like to find out what if anything can be done to mitigate the risk of the voting system [to] hacking or affecting the election without even knowing it has been affected.”
Liz Harrington reported that encryption keys “will be discussed” at the board’s next meeting. A date for that meeting has yet to be determined.
Board chairman John Fervier is “pushing for AFTER the Election, Johnston and (Janelle) King want before Election Day,” Harrington wrote in a post to X.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office was invited to comment and attend the meeting.
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