State Election Board taking up voter eligibility and investigations into eight Georgia counties
Initial findings of an investigation into how eight Georgia counties handled Republican challenges against voters’ eligibility will be discussed Tuesday by the State Election Board during its final scheduled meeting of 2024.
The board ordered the inquiry last month in response to complaints from Republican activists that county election boards — most of them controlled by Democrats — had since July 1 dismissed over 45,000 of their challenges of voters who they believe might have moved.
Meanwhile, Republicans have sued to attempt to force county election boards to consider voter eligibility challenges. A lawsuit against DeKalb County is pending, but the Republican plaintiffs withdrew their case against Fulton County.
The board’s executive director, Mike Coan, is scheduled to present a report on voter challenge complaints, according to the meeting agenda. He is investigating Athens-Clarke, Bibb, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett and Jackson counties.
In addition, the State Election Board is reviewing two dozen investigations Tuesday, including allegations of repeat voting, illegal campaigning and out-of-state voting.
The board has the power to impose fines, issue reprimands and refer cases to the attorney general or district attorneys.
The board recently approved several new election rules, including new requirements before results can be certified and a hand count of the number of ballots cast after polls close on Election Day.
Those election rules are being contested in court, and judges haven’t yet issued rulings.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
