Outgoing Fulton County Board of Elections Director Rick Barron claims that the Nov. 30 Atlanta mayoral runoff went smoothly. Well, perhaps– even though some ballots from polling places came in later than normal. But it was a low turnout election, observers note. It doesn’t take away from the elections mess that Barron has presided over in recent years—especially in the 2020 general election and January runoffs.
Even Gov. Brian Kemp, who downplayed the mismanagement and fraud in Fulton and other Georgia counties during the 2020 elections, has backpedaled—somewhat.
The governor, who previously didn’t see the need after the November 2020 election for a special session to address election reforms in Georgia and specifically Fulton, now admits in a 40-page Nov. 17 Report there were “inconsistencies” regarding populous and Democrat-dominated Fulton County. This is based on findings reported by VoterGA’s Joe Rossi and attorney Jack James. VoterGA’s Nov. 27 press release states the governor “acknowledged massive errors and fraudulent reporting in the hand count audit of Fulton County mail-in ballots conducted on November 14 and 15 for the 2020 Presidential election.”
In a Nov. 17 cover letter, Kemp says Rossi presented an analysis of the 2020 Risk-Limiting Audit Report (RLA) last September. Rossi and James, “without compensation,” reviewed “thousands of ballot images, audit tally sheets, and other data to check the work of the county.” They found 36 significant “inconsistencies,” according to the letter. After a thorough review, Kemp affirmed their work was “factual and could not be explained by [his] office.”
Kemp’s cover letter states his office does not “purport to dispute or contest the outcome of the 2020 election.” Nevertheless, the governor sent a referral of the investigation to the state the Election Board based on the verified research.
Kemp Cover Letter Excerpt
Furthermore, Kemp’s office confirmed “sloppy and inconsistent” data on the Secretary of State’s website, saying “it does not inspire confidence.” Kemp made the following recommendations to the Board, urging them to act swiftly. A copy of all correspondence was sent to SoS Raffenberger:
Recommendations for Action/Kemp to Election Board
Rossi and James presented their findings initially on July 13. The related press release reveals the findings ultimately presented to Kemp and are now included in Kemp’s 40-page report. The duo not only found errors, but they also allegedly found falsified audit tally sheets.
Fulton County also failed to “include over 100,000 tally sheets, including more than 50,000 from mail-in ballots“ for the original hand count. Those tally sheets did not materialize until late February. Additionally, dropbox transfer forms were not provided for three pick-up days and “are still needed to provide chain-of-custody proof for about 5,000 ballots.” These and their other findings represent violations of Equal Protection and Due Process Constitutional Rights of Georgia voters.
