This series sought information from the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Fannin County’s Board of Elections, on election procedures relevant to several potentially fraudulent incidents that were reported about the 2020 election. What follows here is a brief return to each topic discussed with any related news updates I have seen and some questions that journalists could be asking.
The State Farm Arena camera footage late on election night – News reports from June 2021 indicated that two women on the camera footage had been identified as Wandrae Shaye Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman and that they were ordered to give depositions on their activities that night after the observers and most other workers had left. A deposition is sworn oral testimony that may be used as a written transcript in court. The depositions were later postponed by a judge, and I cannot find any news report that depositions ever took place. The reason why is probably the same as described below for the pristine ballot batches lawsuit. If anyone has asked Brad Raffensperger to explain how it was proven that ballots run through a scanner multiple times were not counted more than once, I have not been able to find that information online.
“Pristine” ballot batches noted by poll workers during the Fulton County recount – Garland Favorito, co-founder of VoterGA, filed a lawsuit to examine 147,000 absentee ballots in Fulton County after four poll workers signed sworn affidavits that during a hand recount, there were ballots that looked counterfeit. Ballot inspection was agreed upon and then postponed until the case was finally dismissed by Judge Brian Amero in October 2021 because the voters who brought the case “failed to allege a particularized injury” and therefore lacked the standing to claim that their constitutional rights had been violated. This ruling seems to mean that no investigation can result from a lawsuit unless there is already proof that fraud occurred. Mr. Favorito plans to appeal the dismissal of the lawsuit.
Reconciliation of ballots – The procedure described by Sonia and Mary Ann for how ballot reconciliation is done in Fannin County sounds fair and transparent, with all records saved as they should be. I don’t know if all other counties in Georgia follow this procedure, or if instead they may do things very differently. I did not see any details in the Georgia Election Code on how ballot reconciliation should be performed.
Questionable donations to “help” with the election – If no journalist has filed an Open Records Request to Fulton County to find out how the Zuckerbucks were used there, why hasn’t this happened? Georgia’s 2021 Election Integrity Act now prohibits county or municipal superintendents or the county boards of registrars from accepting any grants, funds or gifts from sources other than the local, State, or Federal governments. That may make a difference in future elections, providing people obey the law.
Missing drop box transfer forms in Fulton County – The Election Integrity Act empowers the State Election Board to suspend county or municipal superintendents due to violations of the election code, and the board may appoint a temporary superintendent with all the powers and authority to make personnel decisions related to employees including the director of elections, the election supervisor, and all poll workers. In August 2021 the State Election Board appointed a bipartisan panel to investigate Fulton County’s elections management. In November 2021, the director of elections for Fulton County submitted his resignation, effective on December 31.
Fraudulent voting – The procedure described to me by the Chairman and Vice Chair of Fannin County’s Board of Elections, for removing deceased voters from the voter rolls each month, sounds like they are diligently keeping the voter rolls up to date, but I don’t know if the other counties in Georgia follow the same procedure. It did sound to me like people with homes in multiple states might be able to vote multiple times in a Federal election, if they’re not worried about getting caught committing a felony.
Fannin County poll pads problem during 2020 election – This problem did not recur for the 2021 Senate runoff.