One of Trump’s ‘pit bulls’ resigns from State Election Board
Janice Johnston, who pushed for MAGA-backed changes to Georgia voting policies, resigned from the State Election Board on Thursday.
Johnston resigned, citing “family and personal responsibilities.”
“While I may be leaving the board, I’m not leaving the cause,” she said. “My commitment to election integrity remains as strong as ever and I’ll continue supporting efforts that strengthen confidence, transparency and trust in our elections.”
The State Election Board is tasked with election rulemaking, reviewing allegations of voting infractions and imposing fines. Johnston, a retired obstetrician and activist was appointed to the board in 2022 by the state Republican Party.
Before joining the state board, she was an outspoken voice at Fulton County Election Board meetings in the wake of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. She called for the firing of the Fulton elections director, criticized the job performance of temporary election workers and repeated unsubstantiated allegations of “falsified tally sheets” during an audit.
During her tenure on the five-person state board, Johnston and a new majority voting bloc tested the limits of its rulemaking authority ahead of the 2024 presidential election, including required hand counts of ballots and election inquiries.
The Georgia Supreme Court rejected those and other changes pushed by the majority, ruling that the appointed board cannot create rules that conflict with or go beyond laws passed by legislators.
Johnston, the board’s vice chair, also continued to push for an investigation of the 2020 vote in Fulton County even after three vote tallies confirmed the results and state investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing. She led the board’s dogged efforts to obtain county records and helped pave the way for the FBI raid earlier this year, where agents seized ballots and other election documents.
At a 2024 rally in Atlanta, President Donald Trump lauded Johnston and fellow board members Janelle King and Rick Jeffares as “pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory.”
Johnston, who attended the rally, earned a rebuke from the Georgia Office of Inspector General report, which said that while at that partisan event, she created the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Several board members and the board’s executive director thanked Johnston for her public service. “I’m going to miss you,” said King, who the board appointed vice chair on Wednesday.
“I love Dr. Johnston,” said board member Salleigh Grubbs, an appointee of Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones.
The Georgia Republican Party nominated Carolyn Roddy, a regulatory lawyer who lives in Marietta, to succeed Johnston.
“I am confident that Carolyn Roddy will serve with the same passion, dedication, and effectiveness that defined Dr. Johnston’s tenure,” Georgia Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon said in a statement. “She will be a powerful advocate for secure, transparent, and fair elections — ensuring that Georgia remains the gold standard for election administration in America.”
Roddy has worked for the Federal Communications Commission and on a rural electric service program during Trump’s first term. Republican Roddy recently ran an unsuccessful bid for the Georgia Public Service Commission.
About the Author
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
