Fulton County has launched a lawsuit against the Georgia State Election Board, challenging the board’s authority to monitor elections in the county. The lawsuit, filed by the Fulton County Board of Registration & Elections, alleges that the state board has overstepped its jurisdiction and mishandled its duties related to election monitoring.
According to Fulton Election Board Chairwoman Sherri Allen, the state board has provided conflicting information and failed to take action regarding monitors, prompting the county to seek clarification from the court. With the November 5 general election just weeks away, the county is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to resolve the issue.
The dispute began when the Republican-controlled state board appointed election monitors who had expressed skepticism about the 2020 election results, sparking outrage from Fulton County officials. In response, the county appointed its own monitoring team, which the state board opposed.
The state board has responded to the lawsuit by issuing subpoenas for county records from the 2020 election and for Fulton board members to appear at a meeting. Fulton County’s lawsuit describes the state board’s actions as a “last-minute attempt to drastically impact the imminent general election.”
SEB member Janelle King defended the board’s actions, blaming Fulton County for refusing to cooperate with the state’s monitoring team. “If they had worked with us, we wouldn’t be here,” she said. “But if you’re not going to listen, if you’re not going to be responsive, then we have to take action.”
The lawsuit is the latest in a series of challenges to the state board’s authority. Last week, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Party of Georgia, and Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign filed a separate lawsuit against the state board, challenging a new rule that would require counties to count ballots by hand.
