Fulton County to File Motion Against FBI's Seizure of 2020 Election Ballots
The Fulton County Commission is taking legal action against the FBI's seizure of hundreds of boxes of ballots and other election records from the 2020 presidential election. The county claims that the search warrant, which was executed on January 28, was not proper and exceeded its scope.
Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who is also a practicing attorney, has stated that the county intends to challenge both the scope of the warrant and how it was carried out. He believes that the FBI took physical custody of original ballots, including in-person, absentee, and provisional ballots, as well as voter rolls, without conducting an inventory or establishing a chain of custody.
The county wants the records to remain in Georgia under seal, to conduct forensic accounting of the materials taken, and to protect sensitive voter information. The FBI has confirmed that it carried out a "court-authorized law enforcement action," but has not provided additional details on why federal authorities want the records.
The search warrant referenced potential violations of two federal laws, including one involving voter intimidation and election interference, and another requiring election officials to retain federal election records for 22 months. However, the exact reasons behind the FBI's actions remain unclear.
Fulton County leaders have criticized the federal action, stating that they complied with the warrant as executed. The county attorneys plan to file the motion in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia at the Russell Federal Building.
The case has drawn national attention and criticism from Democratic leaders, who question why federal officials are revisiting the 2020 election, which has already been audited and recounted. President Trump has continued to claim that the election was rigged, despite a lack of evidence, and has vowed to investigate the results since returning to office.
The Justice Department also filed a civil motion seeking access to Fulton County's 2020 ballots and voting records last month. The county clerk of courts asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing that the records are sealed under state law and that the federal government has not provided a legitimate reason to obtain them.
The Fulton County Commission is taking legal action against the FBI's seizure of hundreds of boxes of ballots and other election records from the 2020 presidential election. The county claims that the search warrant, which was executed on January 28, was not proper and exceeded its scope.
Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who is also a practicing attorney, has stated that the county intends to challenge both the scope of the warrant and how it was carried out. He believes that the FBI took physical custody of original ballots, including in-person, absentee, and provisional ballots, as well as voter rolls, without conducting an inventory or establishing a chain of custody.
The county wants the records to remain in Georgia under seal, to conduct forensic accounting of the materials taken, and to protect sensitive voter information. The FBI has confirmed that it carried out a "court-authorized law enforcement action," but has not provided additional details on why federal authorities want the records.
The search warrant referenced potential violations of two federal laws, including one involving voter intimidation and election interference, and another requiring election officials to retain federal election records for 22 months. However, the exact reasons behind the FBI's actions remain unclear.
Fulton County leaders have criticized the federal action, stating that they complied with the warrant as executed. The county attorneys plan to file the motion in federal court in the Northern District of Georgia at the Russell Federal Building.
The case has drawn national attention and criticism from Democratic leaders, who question why federal officials are revisiting the 2020 election, which has already been audited and recounted. President Trump has continued to claim that the election was rigged, despite a lack of evidence, and has vowed to investigate the results since returning to office.
The Justice Department also filed a civil motion seeking access to Fulton County's 2020 ballots and voting records last month. The county clerk of courts asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing that the records are sealed under state law and that the federal government has not provided a legitimate reason to obtain them.
I'm getting so tired of these FBI seizures of election records 
. Like, what's next? They're gonna come after our Netflix passwords too 
. Seriously though, this whole thing stinks. Can't believe they just swooped in and took boxes of ballots without even bothering to make a copy 
. I mean, what if there were tampered ballots or something? Wouldn't that warrant an investigation instead of just taking everything? 
The county is totally right to fight this - we need more transparency, not less 
. And can someone please explain why federal officials are still spewing conspiracy theories about the election like it's 2020 again? 
It's like they're trying to undermine trust in our democratic system on purpose 
. Anyway, I'll be keeping an eye on this case - hope Fulton County wins and gets those records back where they belong 
.
anyway, I'm rooting for Fulton County - let's see what happens next in this whole thing 
. And what really gets my goat is that it's the same old claims of "election interference" and "voter intimidation"... it sounds like they're trying to sweep everything under the rug 
. As a parent, I want to know that our kids' voices are being heard and counted, not manipulated or lost in some bureaucratic shuffle 
. Fulton County is fighting for transparency, and I hope they win this thing 
.
Fulton County is already going through stress with all this election drama and now they're being bullied by the FBI 
. It's like, can't we just move on from 2020? 
. I think it's time to put the past behind us and focus on moving forward 
. The county's right to keep their records under seal is totally fair 
, especially with all the sensitive voter info involved. Can't we just respect each other's boundaries? 
they say the search warrant wasnt even proper and the fbi took everything without doin an inventory lol what's next? the fbi just waltzin in there and takin whatever they want 
anyway, this case is gettin a lot of attention and ppl are talkin about it nonstop 
some democrats r sayin why r they revisitin the 2020 election when its already been audited lol like, isnt that what we gotta do to keep our democracy safe? 
. And can we talk about how this is all tied into the whole 'election interference' thing? Like, wasn't there some investigation already? 
? The whole thing seems fishy to me. Like, why are they being so secretive about it? Can't they just come clean and tell us why they need those records? And what's with the "court-authorized law enforcement action" vibe? Sounds like some spy thriller movie stuff 
. I just want my grandma's election ballots back where they belong - in Georgia, under seal! 
anyway, did some research on this and it looks like we're talking about a case that could potentially set a precedent for how election records are handled in the future 
here's a quick stat: 85% of voters who supported Joe Biden in 2020 believe their votes were counted accurately... meanwhile, 42% of Trump supporters think the opposite 
. First, the FBI shows up with this super broad search warrant, and then they're taking physical custody of all these ballots and voter rolls without so much as an inventory or a chain of custody? That's just fishy 
. And now the Fulton County Commission is all like "wait a minute, we didn't do anything wrong here" 
.
And have you seen the Democrats jumping all over this like the eagles in the sky 
? It's like they're trying to make something out of nothing.