ATLANTA (KeynoteUSA) — The board of elections in Georgia‘s largest county voted Tuesday to certify the results of the May 21 election, but not before one of the board’s Republican-appointed members abstained.
The abstention of Fulton County Board of Elections member Julie Adams aligns with her lawsuit seeking to more closely monitor election operations and obtain a legal ruling that county boards of elections can refuse to certify election results. .
Reading from a prepared statement, Adams argued that he could not accept the results given the county’s previous election administration problems, and argued that the board had illegally given its powers to employees.
“It is time to fix the problems with our elections by ensuring compliance with the law, transparency in voting conduct, and accuracy of results,” Adams said. “And in my duty as a board member, I want to make sure that happens.”
The other four members, including Republican appointee Michael Heekin, voted to certify the results in what election director Nadine Williams called a “very successful election.”
At issue is a part of Georgia law that says county officials “shall” certify the results after engaging in a process to ensure they are accurate. Those who disagree with Adams, including the Georgia Democratic Party, argue that the law gives county election board members no leeway to vote against certifying results, saying the lawsuit is a ploy by Donald Trump supporters.
“Trump and MAGA Republicans have made it clear that they plan to try to block the certification of the November election when they are defeated again, and this is a transparent attempt to set the stage for that fight,” said Democratic Party chairwoman and Rep. American Nikema Williams. she said in a statement when the party filed to intervene in the lawsuit on Friday.
The lawsuit, backed by the Trump-aligned America First Policy Institute, contends that county election board members have the discretion to deny certification. It’s unclear what would happen if a county refused to certify, although the dispute would likely end up in court. A protracted battle after the November general election could prevent Georgia from awarding its 16 electoral votes on time, or prevent officials, including county sheriffs and state legislators, from taking office in January.
Adams asked Fulton County Superior Court Judge Ural Glanville to grant him temporary relief ahead of Tuesday’s vote to certify the May 21 primary, but he has not acted. The lawsuit is against the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, of which Adams is a member. The board has not yet responded to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also cites a list of materials that Adams argued he should have access to before being asked to vote on certification. During Tuesday’s proceedings, the board voted to give its members access to at least one of the items demanded in the lawsuit: envelopes that voters use to send their absentee ballots to the county.
Some other documents requested in the lawsuit may have also been provided: County spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez declined to provide a full list, saying only that staff “provided extensive documentation to board members to respond.” to your questions about the May 21 primaries. choice.”
Heekin, the other Republican board member, largely praised the information provided Tuesday.
“It was very helpful in evaluating performance in the election and I hope we look at it as a warm-up for the fall,” he said, adding that he would like to find ways to make the review of documents go more smoothly.
But Adams said he believed he would need “days” to evaluate whether he believed the results were accurate.
He also maintains that the board must take back the powers of its employees, including the director.
“The BRE is currently window dressing and that cannot be the correct interpretation of the law,” Adams said. “Currently all important decisions are made by staff and behind closed doors. “If we don’t have transparency for the board, what does that mean for transparency for the people we serve?”
However, board president Cathy Woolard rejected that claim and said the board is ultimately in charge of the staff.
“We speak with one voice to our director, who then takes that direction to the rest of the staff,” Woolard said.
Aaron Johnson, a Democratic-appointed board member, disagreed with Adams’ position and said he was ignoring improvements the county of one million residents had made in holding elections.
“The problem we have in Fulton County is the continued misrepresentation of what is really happening,” Johnson said.
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