The Georgia State Election Board voted Wednesday to reopen its investigation into Fulton County’s handling of the 2020 presidential recount, focusing on claims of double-counted ballots ahead of this year’s election.
The board, now led by a Republican majority praised by Donald Trump, decided 3-2 to request an investigation by Attorney General Chris Carr, with a progress report due in 30 days. The renewed inquiry follows evidence suggesting that over 3,000 ballots may have been counted twice during the recount.
Board member Janice Johnston, who spearheaded the push to revisit the case, emphasized the investigation’s focus on ensuring accurate vote counting rather than on election outcomes. “I’m just interested in the numbers. I’m not interested in who got more votes. That’s not the point of this investigation,” Johnston said.
Previously, the board had issued a reprimand to Fulton and mandated election monitors in May, but the new majority deemed that response insufficient. On Wednesday, they also rejected a proposal for Fulton election monitors that the county had agreed to as part of resolving the May case. The proposed monitors included Carter Jones, an independent observer from 2020, and Ryan Germany, a former attorney for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
Conservatives have persistently sought to uncover irregularities from the 2020 election, leading to packed State Election Board meetings pushing for further investigation. Joe Rossi, whose complaint triggered the initial investigation, claimed the double-counting was deliberate. “We now know the duplication of ballots was not an administrative error. Rather, the duplication process was due to intentional human intervention,” Rossi asserted.
The board is also reviewing claims of missing digital ballot images and verification documents from 10 ballot scanners. If Carr’s office is unable or unwilling to pursue the investigation, Johnston has proposed hiring outside attorneys and investigators.
The board’s decision to reinvestigate sets the stage for a contentious debate over election security and fraud allegations as Election Day approaches on Nov. 5.
