Fulton County Elections Director Rick Barron to resign

ATLANTA - The elections director in Georgia’s most populous county, which has been under intense scrutiny for its handling of elections, will step down at the end of the year, county officials said Wednesday.

Fulton County Registration & Elections Director Rick Barron has submitted his resignation, effective Dec. 31, Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chair Robb Pitts said. The announcement came a day after municipal elections that saw short lines and few problems.

But the county, a Democratic stronghold that includes most of the city of Atlanta, has a history of problems and has long been a target of Republicans, who have complained of sloppiness and mismanagement. 

In February, the Fulton County Election Board voted 3-2 to fire Barron after receiving criticism for its handling of the presidential and Senate runoff. Barron served in the position for eight years.

In November, the Georgia Secretary of State's Office opened two investigations into Fulton County's handling of the 2020 election involving the "chain of custody" dealing with votes.

The county received regular criticism from the secretary of state's office, with complaints about delays caused by technical problems and a lack of manpower due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2017, an issue with the software at the Fulton County elections preparation center led to delays in election vote reporting for hours.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.