Why the FBI raid of Fulton County’s election facility should concern us all
The FBI raid of the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center on Jan. 28 should alarm every Georgian who values free, fair and independent elections.
According to numerous local and national media reports, federal agents sought access and obtained voter records connected to the 2020 presidential election — an election that has been repeatedly audited, litigated and ultimately certified as legitimate in Fulton County as well as across the United States.
I believe that the FBI raid was intentional, directed by the Trump administration. The optics of this action amount to a shot across the bow, signaling yet another chapter of election interference at a moment when public trust in many democratic institutions remains fragile.
Fulton’s demographics make it a prime target for Republicans
This recent intervention by the FBI should not be viewed in isolation.
Georgians vividly remember the now infamous phone call by President Donald Trump during his first term on Jan. 2, 2021, in which he pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” 11,781 votes in Fulton County to overturn his loss to President-elect Joe Biden.
Raffensperger, a Republican, admirably resisted that pressure and reaffirmed what election officials had already established: Fulton County administered the election lawfully, transparently and accurately. Multiple recounts and audits confirmed that conclusion.
So why does Fulton County remain under such intense scrutiny — by political actors and now by federal authorities?
The answer does not lie in evidence of wrongdoing, but more in the demographics of Black and Democratic political power.
With 1.1 million residents, Fulton County is the most populous county in Georgia and has become the state’s largest Democratic stronghold. It is home to the largest concentration of Black voters in Georgia and represents a diverse, urban electorate that has played a decisive role in recent statewide and national elections.
That makes it an attractive target for those seeking to relitigate the outcome of 2020 election, thereby also undermining confidence ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Trump didn’t like losing, so he’s attacking the electoral process
The FBI’s action, despite any stated rationale, risks serving as a smoke screen — one that seeks to intimidate Fulton County voters, pressure county election officials and feed a persistent narrative that something must be wrong simply because Trump and his political allies did not like the result.
This is how trust in elections erodes: not through proven fraud, but through repeated insinuation, investigation and speculation.
Compounding this concern is an effort by the Fulton County Republican Party in August 2025 to appoint two self-described election deniers to be seated on the Fulton County Election Board.
Taken together, this action and the recent FBI raid, are not coincidental. They are part of a broader national political strategy to sow doubt and discord within election boards in strategic jurisdictions across the country — particularly those with large Democratic and minority electorates.
This national strategy unfolds against a shifting political backdrop. President Trump’s approval ratings at 38% — per the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll — have reached historic lows, while national polling continues to show rising Democratic enthusiasm and voter engagement ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
Rather than adapting to this reality of plummeting public opinion, Trump and some Republican political operatives appear determined to question the electoral process itself. It is becoming increasingly clear; if you cannot win the voters, the focus then turns to undermining the voting process.
Citizens should make their voices heard by voting
That is why the response of Democratic officials and civic leaders in Fulton County deserves recognition. By raising the alarm about these aggressive and, at times, mischievous tactics, they are not defending a party — they are defending the integrity of a system that belongs to all of us.
Election administration is not a partisan exercise; it is a public trust.
I say this not as an outside observer, but as someone who understands county governance firsthand. When I served as chairman of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners from 2007 to 2017, I saw up close the seriousness with which election administration and oversight are treated.
County boards of elections are responsible for approving procedures, safeguarding ballots and certifying results. These responsibilities are carried out by local citizens who understand that democracy depends on public confidence — and who know that their work must withstand scrutiny from all sides.
Undermining that confidence without evidence does lasting damage. It can discourage voter participation, demoralize public servants and deepen political divisions that already strain our civic fabric.
That is why I encourage every voter in Fulton County — Democrat and Republican, Black and white, gay and straight — to exercise your fundamental right to vote and to maintain faith in the integrity of the process. Disagreement over policy is healthy in a democracy. Disagreement over whether votes should count is not.
Every election in Fulton County since 2020 has been tested, audited and affirmed by the Fulton County Election Board and the Georgia Secretary of State Office. What remains to be tested now is our collective commitment to democracy itself.
To my fellow Georgians, we must not allow fear, intimidation or political expediency by the Trump administration to erode the cornerstone of our republic: the peaceful, fair and trusted administration of elections.
John H. Eaves is a former Fulton County Commission chairman and a senior instructor in the Department of Political Science at Spelman College. He is a contributor to the AJC.
