It appears Fulton County is one step closer to filing a lawsuit against the State of Georgia over the new laws designed to restore confidence in elections while encroaching upon the voting rights of ethnic minorities in the Peach State’s population centers.
Wednesday, Commissioner Khadijah Abdur-Rahman proposed the resolution that paves the way for an upcoming lawsuit. In a 4-2 vote, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners has approved moving forward with a potential legal challenge to the state of Georgia’s new voting law.
The measure fortifies the county’s support of federal bills HR 1 and HR 4, directs the county attorney to fight the new state bill legally, directs the county manager and elections supervisor to expand voter access, and directs the diversity and civil rights compliance officer to also protect voter rights.
“It directs the county attorney to provide legal methods in court or out of court, to fight SB 202,” Commissioner Abdur-Rahman explained. “We had 38, it is now eight. They added drop boxes in rural counties but you decreased the boxes in the metropolitan area. Stevie Wonder can see that.”
“Fulton County has two mobile units that 11,000 people used to vote. Were these the 11,000 votes [President Donald] Trump was looking for?” the commissioner asked.
Georgia’s new election laws would ban the usage of mobile-voter buses. Fulton County purchased two RV’s designed for mobile voting for around $750,000.
Joining Abdur-Rahman for the vote in favor of the measure were co-sponsor Natalie Hall, Robb Pitts and Marvin Arrington. Commissioners Bob Ellis and Lee Morris voted against the measure. The vote fell along party lines.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger responded to the Fulton County Commissioner in a statement, claiming the state’s most populous county has consistently failed their voters.
“Fulton County has been failing its voters for at least 25 years. Each new election cycle brings a new failure and it is Fulton’s voters who suffer. The bottom line is that Fulton County’s elections leadership is responsible for running elections. It is Fulton County’s elections leadership that has created long lines for their voters time and time again while other areas of the state have managed to execute successful elections.
Instead of addressing their chronic election mismanagement issues, Fulton County’s Democrat officials have doubled down on their failed policies. After voting to override their own elections board’s decision to fire the Fulton elections supervisor, Fulton County’s Democrat commissioners are now taking aim at legislation that could actually bring Fulton’s voters the relief they have been seeking for decades.
SB 202 mandated steps to cut down long lines and create new precincts. Fulton County’s Democrat leadership is now opposing that.
SB 202 provides avenues to change the elections leadership in consistently failing counties. Fulton County’s Democrat leadership has decided the double down on a system that isn’t working.
Fulton County Democrats need to stop passing the blame to Republicans for failures they have sole control over, and actually do something about it. Fulton’s voters need more action, not more press conferences.”
Senate Bill 202 replaces the signature match statute with voter ID requirements, shortens the absentee ballot request period starting 11-weeks before the elections and ending 11 days before the end of the primary, election, or runoff; tightens requirements for county elections supervisors, such as requiring them to have absentee ballots counted by 5 p.m. the day after elections, bans the use of mobile voting buses for early voting except in emergencies.
“SB 202 is telling all 159 counties this is what you have to do, but you have to do it with your budget, which will be a burden on the taxpayer,” Abdur-Rahman remarked.
