Senators demand transparency as Fulton County Board of Elections bans all poll watchers for absentee ballots

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The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Tourism Chairman Brandon Beach (R – Alpharetta), Senate Committee on Public Safety Chairman John Albers (R – Roswell) and Senate Committee on Rules Chairman Matt Brass (R – Newnan) issued statements Nov. 2 following the decision by unelected and interim Fulton election bureaucrats on opening four election offices for the purpose of collecting absentee ballots and denying election observers and poll watchers.

“After 19 days of early voting, the Fulton County Board of Elections, without the knowledge of the Secretary of State’s office, violated the spirit of free and fair elections and the will of the General Assembly by opening four government buildings in order to receive absentee ballots,” said Sen. Brandon Beach. “This decision raises serious questions regarding the chain of custody of ballots, posing a threat to transparency in our elections. We must do everything we can to promote trust among the electorate. The recent actions of the Fulton County Board of Elections have eroded that trust.”

“I am deeply concerned by the recent decisions made by unelected and interim Fulton elections workers. These actions were taken without the approval of the Fulton Elections Board, Fulton County Commissioners, or the Secretary of State. These same unelected Fulton elections workers then, in writing, told each other they were not allowed to have observers, clearly subverting the law and removing transparency,” said Sen. John Albers. “When we questioned the interim Elections Director, she misrepresented facts and was uncooperative. We will continue to monitor this ongoing situation and have been in contact with the Secretary of State’s office and legal counsel regarding these issues. It is paramount that we ensure public trust and promote transparency in our election process.”

“Transparency on the front end of the election process is how to prevent confusion on the back end. Our state laws are designed to do just that and must be followed, Fulton County is no exception,” said Sen. Matt Brass.

Sen. Brandon Beach serves as the Chairman of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee. He represents the 21st Senate District which includes portions of Cherokee and Fulton counties. He may be reached at 404.463.1378 or by email at brandon.beach@senate.ga.gov

Sen. John Albers serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Safety. He represents the 56th Senate District which includes portions of Cherokee, Cobb and Fulton counties. He may be reached at his office at 404.463.8055 or by email at john.albers@senate.ga.gov

Sen. Matt Brass serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules. Sen. Brass represents the 28th Senate District, which includes Coweta and Heard, as well as parts of Douglas and Fulton County. He can be reached by email at matt.brass@senate.ga.gov

18 COMMENTS

    • So you are confirming that you and Democrats in Fulton County are lawless and arrogant people who care nothing about the rule of law and honesty?

      “If you know someone who’s a fascist, that person is probably into control. A fascist is a follower of a political philosophy characterized by authoritarian views and a strong central government — and no tolerance for opposing opinions.

      Fascist traces to the Italian word fascio, meaning “group, bundle.” Under fascist rule, the emphasis is on the group — the nation — with few individual rights. You must support the ruling party’s views on society, politics, and culture — or else. The term was used by Italian political leader Benito Mussolini under his totalitarian, anti-communist government. The word can describe someone who supports fascism — or whose behavior is so stern and controlling that it seems like he does.”

      The liberal Democrats are notoriously guilty of trying to control speech and have no tolerance for free speech Your comment reinforces on collage campuses and on social media! They are notorious for speaking lies about Republicans and independents who refuse to join in the “Woke” nonsense! Your comment reinforces the thought pattern of folks who do not excerise critical thinking skills and are lead only by emotion and hatred for anyone who disagrees with them!

  1. Fiction – So, with all the examples here and in Steve Brown’s column, you still trust that any ADDITIONAL examples of vote funny-business will be exposed. Even when exposed, will anyone do anything to prevent or correct the election from being tainted?

    Kamala Harris got a spot last week on Saturday Night Live, getting 4.5 million views. NBC and Harris knew it violated federal election “equal time” regulations, and that the timing left no way for Trump to also get on SNL. Consequences? None.

    Virginia was sued by Biden’s DOJ (there they are again) to keep known non-citizens on the voter registration roll. It took a Supreme Court decision to make that common sense call.

    And why is it that cases of election “irregularities” almost exclusively go in one direction? Toward democrats?

    Why do democrats so aggressively fight voter ID, security around drop boxes, observers, signature verification, deadlines for receipt of votes and proof of citizenship to vote?

    To anyone who does not buy into the extreme progressive agenda of Harris, who does not want a repeat of the inflation, weak economy, massive illegal immigration, crime, foreign policy flops and war on women’s spaces, today is the day to get your vote in. By voting in overwhelming numbers against a continuation of the last 4 years, there is a chance for bringing America back to what we knew as children.

    • “By voting in overwhelming numbers … there is a chance for bringing America back to what we knew as children” you say?

      I recall in school doing “duck and cover” drills in case of nuclear attack. I remember school segregation. I recall neighborhoods where certain ethnic groups and religious sects were not welcomed, let alone were allowed to dwell. I remember the struggles for rights and freedoms even if you were middle-class and Caucasian; sitting in a rice field getting shot at and you can’t even vote.

      Nah, going back is a mistake just as going forward would be with an authoritarian leader and his followers who don’t believe in a systematic form of government.

    • “Bringing America back to what we knew as children” isn’t real. During their youth, every generation looks at the innocence of their cultural environment. My parents looked at the 1920s, now in my 70s, I look at the innocence of the 1950s. My kids look at the 1990s, and my grandkids look at the 2010s. When we were young, we felt secure and had no idea of bad things going on around us; now, we have a better understanding. “Making America Great Again” is smoke. Rather than yearn for what has passed, we can do better trying to adapt to the future.

      • “Bringing America back….” might mean a lot of things. No foreign wars……no boys on girls sports teams or in locker rooms….no s@xualiation of our kids via books in schools….no forcing the trans agenda down our throats…..no race riots or “certain lives matter” riots (thank Obama for that – it’s his lasting legacy)…..we need to adapt to the future by going back to what made us great in the first place – American jobs, American manufacturing, American energy, family values, Christian values and fundamentals in our law and business.

        Doon – don’t worry – we won’t put the democrats in jail like the democrats tried to do to Trump. You’ll actually enjoy the next 4 years of peace, of keeping our money here instead of sending it to Ukraine, and of steady leadership that doesn’t encourage thier followers to assassinate their opponents. MAGA!

  2. First of all, I trust that any voter fraud will be exposed so the election will not be tainted.

    That said, this accusation isn’t being met with much angst. The previous president has cried “Wolf” so often that none but his disciples bother to retrieve their pitchforks and venture out to see if there is any danger. This habituation is a direct consequence of myriad baseless claims of election fraud over the last four years. When the major news voice for one side must pay 3/4 of a billion dollars for systematically lying about election fraud, is there any wonder that no one is interested in some new cry of “Wolf”?

    So far, Brad Raffensperger has proved to be an unbiased umpire, so I will not become too animated unless he calls “foul.”

    • Have you been hiding under a rock for the last four years? Have you ever heard of the documentary movie “2000 Mules”? only the most gullible individual would deny the evidence of massive voter fraud in recent national elections!

      • Sorry old boy, D’Souza’s film has been debunked so thoroughly that I didn’t even think Foxworld cited it any longer. Let’s just say the evidence is sorely lacking.

        By the way, did anyone notice how an honorable defeated presidential candidate concedes defeat instead of denying it for years? It is refreshing to see some American norms still practiced. I hope our president-elect will follow the lead of Washington and Lincoln in propriety and civility. Our country can use some uniting.

      • Fiction – I did notice Harris’s much-delayed concession speech. Meh. She said the words, so yay her.

        Don’t give Harris too much credit. There are some major differences this time around driving her to concede.

        The election itself seems to have been conducted without the shenanigans that was alleged in 2020, credit to Raffensberger et al. And Trump won overwhelmingly in the Electoral College and the popular vote, making her concession inevitable.

        Harris also shouted about “continuing the fight”, whatever that means this week. Hopefully it doesn’t include the attacks on Trump, keeping the border open, blowing trillions of dollars into the economy or all the woke stuff. In other words, take a few lessons away from this vote, and let the country heal.

        Trump also emphasized that now is the time to bring our country back together, so we have a chance to make our focus working together on common sense solutions to the many problems that have festered for years.

        Biden inviting Trump to the White House and allowing an early transition start is a classy act. There is hope.

        • Penny – I hope you are right about the president-elect unifying the country, but I haven’t seen evidence of this yet. I am open to new information.

          Whatever Harris means by continuing the fight, it won’t matter. Republicans control the executive branch, the Senate (and probably the House), and have a very sympathetic Supreme Court, so it would take an incompetent administration to allow the other team to set agenda or pass extreme legislation.

          I see little difference in Georgia’s election system in 2020 and 2024. Raffensperger headed both elections. The only real difference appears to be the conduct of the losers.

          I agree that Biden was classy with the invitation and with the speech; bless his feeble little heart.

          • You know what would’ve been even classier? Apologizing for calling over 50% of the country “garbage” and for insinuating that Trump is Hitler, a dictator, his supporters are Nazis, etc.