Georgia panel: Reforms, resources needed for election review
ATLANTA (AP) — A process recently implemented by Georgia state lawmakers to examine how county officials handle elections is likely unsustainable without more resources or reforms, according to the panel that did the first review under the law.
The provision in a sweeping 2021 election overhaul allows state lawmakers who represent a given county to request a review of local election officials and their practices. That sets in motion a process that ultimately could lead to the replacement of county election officials by the State Election Board.
The first three-person review panel was appointed by the state board in August 2021 at the request of Republican lawmakers in Fulton County. The state's most populous county, Fulton, is a Democratic stronghold that includes most of the city of Atlanta and about 11% of the state's voters.
It has a history of problematic elections and has long been criticized by Republicans. Former President Donald Trump fixated on Fulton County in the wake of his narrow election loss in Georgia in 2020 and continues to push unfounded claims of widespread election fraud there.
The bipartisan review panel last month completed its required report and presented its findings on Tuesday to the State Election Board. The panel recommended against a state takeover of Fulton County's elections, saying that while the county still has work to do, it had made significant improvements.
The review panel included Stephen Day, a Democratic appointee to the Gwinnett County election board; Ricky Kittle, a Republican appointee to the Catoosa County election board; and Ryan Germany, who was until recently the longtime general counsel for the secretary of state’s office.
The existence of the review “helped incentivize Fulton County to make improvements to their...