President Donald Trump's allies on the Georgia State Elections Board are considering using a new rule to take over elections in Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold, after the FBI raided the county elections board.
An obscure rule in the state's 2020 election overhaul gave officials on the State Elections Board the power to replace "underperforming" county boards.
State Election Board member Janelle King told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that a Fulton County takeover was "on the radar" after the FBI seized ballots related to the 2020 presidential election, which has long been an obsession of the president.
Trump ally and newly appointed board member Salleigh Grubbs said he wasn't ruling out a takeover.
"I have not been part of any conversations in taking over Fulton. And I think that remains to be seen," Grubbs acknowledged. "My goal is that everyone follows the law."
Democratic state Rep. Saira Draper warned that a Republican takeover could impact elections.
"If Republicans can take over bright blue Fulton County, they don't need to run good candidates. They don't need to win the battle of ideas," Draper said. "They'd be in position to win every statewide race in Georgia in 2026."
Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chair Robb Pitts insisted that local officials would not "give one inch" in a legal battle that could ensue.
"My concern is that the Trump administration is using Georgia as a test case to see what they can get away with," Democratic candidate Maggie Goldman explained.
"What will stop them from showing up at election warehouses across the country and demanding election ballots and materials that haven't been fully counted yet?"
