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The 2024 election in Georgia's Fulton County was 'organized and orderly,' independent monitors say

ATLANTA (AP) 鈥 Georgia's Fulton County, where past elections have been marred by long lines, slow precinct reporting and even false claims of voter fraud , conducted an 鈥渙rganized and orderly鈥 election last year, a team of independent monitors found.
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FILE - An election staffer works at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

ATLANTA (AP) 鈥 Georgia's Fulton County, where by long lines, slow precinct reporting and even , conducted an 鈥渙rganized and orderly鈥 election last year, a team of independent monitors found.

President Donald Trump and his supporters that election fraud in the state's most populous county, which includes most of Atlanta, cost him victory in Georgia in 2020. Given its past election problems, Republicans have repeatedly sought extra oversight of voting in the Democratic stronghold.

After national scrutiny of Fulton County's election processes in 2020, county leaders implemented wide-ranging changes, including replacing the elections department leadership and building a new elections hub and operations center. That seems to have paid off, with the independent monitors finding 鈥渟ubstantial improvement鈥 in the county's election implementation last year compared to four years earlier.

鈥淭he overall conclusion was that Fulton County conducted an organized and orderly election process that enabled voters to cast their votes securely and conveniently and ensured that votes were tabulated accurately,鈥 according to the monitors' report made public Thursday.

Centralizing operations at a single hub facilitates public access, decreases the risk of miscommunication and improves security, the report says. A wireless inventory management system implemented after 2020 improves security and the tracking of equipment. The team also observed good documentation, as well as organized and secure chain of custody practices, the report says.

The observers recommended some changes, including increased transparency to help the public understand the process. They also recommended publicizing times, dates and locations for absentee ballot return in advance to avoid a last-minute announcement and confusion over whether observers were allowed to watch . And they said the county needs to do more to ensure that observers, poll workers and other voters can't see a voter's selections on the large touchscreens on voting machines.

The county election board includes two members appointed by the county Republican Party, two members appointed by the county Democratic Party and a chairperson. The observers noted that board meetings sometimes seemed especially contentious and suggested that the county鈥檚 voters 鈥渃ould be better served by a more collegial and cooperative approach.鈥

Members of the observation team presented their findings at an election board meeting Thursday. Most of the board members said they wanted to thoroughly read and digest the report before offering any comment or asking questions.

This wasn't the first time the county's elections have been monitored. After a , an independent monitor was engaged to examine the county鈥檚 election practices during the general election as part of an agreement with the State Election Board. He documented but found no evidence of illegality or fraud.

The state board in 2021 embarked on a nearly two-year of the county鈥檚 election practices at the , including monitoring the 2022 midterm elections. The review panel found that the county had , leading the State Election Board to vote .

To resolve a case against Fulton County involving double-scanning some ballots during an election recount in 2020, the state board voted in May of last year to appoint a monitor to observe the county鈥檚 elections and election processes for the 2024 general election.

The choice of monitor was to be approved by the county, the State Election Board and the secretary of state鈥檚 office. The on the State Election Board did not agree with the monitoring team selected by the county and approved by the secretary of state's office. But with the election fast-approaching and no agreement having been reached, the county in September .

The team included Carter Jones, who was the independent monitor in 2020, and Ryan Germany, former general counsel for the secretary of state's office who was on the performance review team appointed in 2021, as well as former Republican State Election Board member Matt Mashburn and former Richmond County elections executive director Lynn Bailey. They partnered with the Atlanta-based Carter Center, which observes elections all over the world.

The effort aimed to be 鈥渋mpartial, transparent, and process-oriented鈥 with observation happening from September through November, during pre-election preparations, early and Election Day voting and a post-election audit. The observers found the county elections staff to be 鈥渄edicated and hardworking鈥 and said they administered a 鈥渟mooth, secure and accurate election.鈥

Kate Brumback, The Associated Press

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