FBI raid lays groundwork for Georgia takeover of Fulton County elections
I said it before and I’m saying it again: Stay the hell out of Fulton County.
That was the message I made clear to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, former U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, and other Trump allies who were determined to find voter fraud in the 2020 elections in Fulton County.
There was none. Every audit, every recount, every court ruling confirmed what we, the people of Fulton County, already knew. Our elections were fair and accurate, and every legal vote was counted.
That did not stop FBI agents from executing a surprise raid at the Fulton County Elections warehouse on Wednesday.
We learned the first search warrant signed by a federal judge was incorrect, and a second one had to be issued. It is especially troubling that neither I nor other county leaders had any advance warning of the search until agents arrived and more than a half dozen trucks rolled in to haul off 700 boxes of 2020 ballots and other records.
I can’t assure citizens 2020 ballots are secure anymore
These items were the subject of active litigation and frankly were likely to be unsealed and turned over in a matter of weeks.
Knowing that, some have asked why we didn’t fight the seizure. Our attorneys carefully reviewed the search warrant and advised us to comply. As chairman, I am committed — and always have been — to upholding the law.
However, this is by no means over. Fulton County will fight in court with every resource it has to prove the 2020 elections and every election we conduct is transparent, fair and accurate. I am confident as we have seen time and time again that the law — and our great citizens — are on our side.
After the 2020 elections, Fulton County poll workers endured brutal and targeted attacks. It is imperative that data from the 2020 election not be used to further harass dedicated poll workers, who have already endured so much. We will not let this happen again.
Until the FBI raid, I could confidently assure the public that the 2020 ballots were safe and secure in our warehouse.
Now that they are in the hands of the FBI and taken to an undisclosed location, Fulton County can no longer be responsible for the ballots or what happens to voter information.
Days after the FBI stormed our elections warehouse, I have new questions that I will demand answers to: Where are the ballots now? What do the feds plan to do with them? What was the true motivation behind the raid?
State takeover would undermine public trust
As of this writing, I have heard nothing from the FBI or anyone in the Trump administration.
Perhaps then, this is simply a maneuver to set up the takeover of Fulton County elections by the State Election Board, whose majority is unapologetically hostile to Fulton County, our Elections Department and our voters.
What would a state takeover of Fulton County elections mean?
I expect they will cut our early voting to the bare minimum, slashing the number of locations and days on which our citizens can cast their votes. I also expect they would halt the good work of our Voter Education and Outreach team, which holds events countywide to ensure our citizens know how to register to vote, know their polling locations and options to vote.
The Fulton County Elections Department is committed to their mission of ensuring that every citizen in Fulton County, regardless of party affiliation, can confidently, conveniently and securely cast their vote.
Since 2020, they have run 17 elections without complaints. Of particular note, they conducted a near perfect presidential election in 2024. When Donald Trump won the state of Georgia that year, none of the conspiracy theorists and troublemakers had anything negative to say.
By taking over the operation of this department, the State Election Board’s ultimate goal, I believe, is to suppress the vote in Fulton County to sway the outcomes of the 2026 midterm election and 2028 presidential election by instilling doubt in the minds of voters and making it more difficult for them to cast their votes.
This FBI raid is a reminder that Fulton County remains a target. We will not give an inch to those who seek to undermine the control of our elections, whether it’s the State Election Board or the president himself.
I will always stand with our voters, our election workers and the truth.
Robb Pitts is the chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and has served in that role since 2017. He served as a county commissioner for 12 years before his term as chair.
