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Fulton County Election Board meets amid calls for state takeover
The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections met Thursday morning at the Government Center to finalize logistics for the upcoming May 19 General Primary. The session comes as Republican State Senator Greg Dolezal calls for the State Election Board to officially take over Fulton County’s election operations. While the agenda focused on the approval of 2026 advance voting locations and drop boxes, Chairman Robb Pitts also delivered remarks to voters regarding the department's ongoing legislative updates and operational reports for the new year.
ATLANTA - The Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections is fighting back against allegations of misconduct following a recent FBI raid at its elections hub, even as some Republican lawmakers renew calls for a state takeover.
Robb Pitts v. United States Government
What we know:
During a passionate and sharply divided board meeting Thursday, Chairman Robb Pitts defended the county’s integrity, noting that Georgia’s largest county has successfully navigated 17 elections since the 2020 cycle.
"We have run successful elections, and I think that the energy that people are using now should be in support of this fine staff that we have as we prepare for 2026 and 2028 and beyond," Pitts said.
The meeting comes two weeks after FBI agents removed 700 boxes of ballots from the 2020 election. The board voted Thursday to ratify its presence in the Robb Pitts v. United States Government lawsuit, a legal response to the federal intervention.
‘Fulton County is a laughingstock’
What they're saying:
Public comment highlighted a deep rift among residents. Some voters, like Ginger Bradshaw, expressed outrage over the county's reputation.
"Fulton County is a laughingstock of the whole country," Bradshaw said. "How many people want their county to be known as the hub of voter fraud?"
However, others pointed to official findings to counter those claims. Former poll watcher Mary Jo Peet noted that "no third party has found any intentional misconduct or malfeasance." She added, "In fact, each third-party report shows more and more improvements to the process."
The emotional toll of the scrutiny was evident as Chief Registration Officer Katherine Glenn broke into tears while providing an update on the election process.
"Our responsibility is to not engage in those debates," Glenn said. "We take seriously the laws governing the addition and removal of voters."
State calls to take over Fulton County Elections
Dig deeper:
Despite the board’s defense, state Republicans are pointing to the FBI raid as a reason for the state to intervene. State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, suggested that failure to maintain voter rolls should lead to an immediate loss of local control.
"I believe that if we find the counties are not maintaining their voter rolls as required to the state law, it should be an automatic trigger for the state to take over their elections," Dolezal said.
2026 Fulton County elections
What's next:
As the county prepares for upcoming primaries, the board also finalized logistics, voting to approve 30 advance voting sites, down from 37 in previous cycles, and seven ballot drop boxes.
The Source: Details in this article come from Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts, Chief Registration Officer Katherine Glenn, State Sen. Greg Dolezal, and local voters during a Feb. 12 Board of Registration and Elections meeting and previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting.