North Fulton Today

The co-founder of a nonpartisan election transparency group came out against the State Election Board’s move to empower a panel to investigate the management of elections in Fulton County, Georgia's largest county. 

If the three-person panel finds violations of state election laws, or negligence, the election board can suspend the county from managing elections, and appoint an interim administrator.

Garland Favorito of VoterGA told North Fulton Today that he opposes to the move, noting the state was ''no more competent'' to run the elections than the county.

Garland Favorito | Twitter

“The Secretary of State’s Office has a history of unresolvable issues of its own,” Favorito said.

He added that the counties should have sovereignty over the elections and remain in control.

Favorito is a plaintiff in an ongoing case to have the Fulton County results in the 2020 general election undergo a forensic audit. A hearing to consider all motions in the case is scheduled for Sept. 20 before Henry County Superior Court Chief Judge Brian Amero.

Georgia conducted three separate recounts of the 2020 presidential vote, including a hand count. Democrats and progressives argue the only reason some Georgians continue to question the election results is the false claims of former President Donald Trump that he lost due to voter fraud and corruption. Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to lose Georgia since 1992.

The Associated Press reported that the State Election Board on Wednesday appointed members to the three-person review panel. They are 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, general counsel for Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

Fulton County, which encompasses Atlanta, is a Democratic stronghold.

In empowering the panel, the board activated a provision in a new state election reform law signed by Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, in March. The U.S. Department of Justice announced in June that it was filing an action against the new law, alleging it suppresses the minority vote.

Under the law, the election board can suspend the county from managing its elections if it finds evidence county officials violated state election law three times since 2018. It could also suspend the county if it finds that over the past two elections the county has shown “nonfeasance, malfeasance or gross negligence.”