FBI Seizes Fulton County Election Records as Federal Investigation Unfolds

Federal authorities descended upon Georgia last week in a significant escalation of scrutiny over the 2020 election, seizing 656 boxes containing thousands of Fulton County election records. The FBI and the director of national intelligence executed the operation, though the precise focus of their investigation remains unclear.

This dramatic move comes nearly six years after the contested 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in Georgia by approximately 11,780 votes. Trump has consistently refused to accept these results, despite multiple investigations and recounts confirming Biden’s victory in the state.

The seizure represents a potentially pivotal moment in ongoing disputes about election integrity. It occurs as the Trump administration appears determined to reexamine the 2020 results and potentially influence upcoming midterm elections in key battleground states like Georgia.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Governor Brian Kemp, both Republicans who defended the state’s 2020 election results against Trump’s claims of fraud, now face a critical constitutional challenge. They must determine whether to fight against federal intrusion into the state’s constitutional authority to administer elections.

Years of Unfounded Claims

Since the 2020 election, Trump and Trump-aligned groups have persistently pushed false claims and allegations of widespread fraud in Georgia’s voting. Each investigation into these theories has consistently found no evidence to support claims of widespread irregularities that would have changed the reported results.

The Georgia secretary of state thoroughly investigated 296 complaints about the 2020 election. A hand recount and a subsequent machine recount of approximately 5 million ballots confirmed the results. The Fulton County Election Board examined roughly 3,000 ballots where double-counting was alleged and found no evidence that would have meaningfully altered the outcome.

The federal investigation could potentially cast further doubt on election data, aiming at a different narrative despite years of thorough examination. Some key figures who spent years pushing baseless fraud claims now hold roles in the Justice Department, raising questions about the investigation’s impartiality.

The warrant issued last week demanded extensive documentation from Fulton County, including:

• Physical ballots from the 2020 general election, including in-person, absentee and other ballots, and absentee ballot envelopes
• Tabulator tapes for every voting machine used
• Ballot images produced during the original ballot count beginning on Nov. 3, 2020
• Voter rolls from the 2020 general election from absentee, early voting, in-person and any other voter roll

Concerns Over Voter Data Security

The federal demand for unredacted voter rolls raises significant privacy and security concerns. Georgia law prohibits sharing certain voter information with third parties, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers of the state’s 8 million registered voters.

Raffensperger could rightfully argue that sharing such data would unnecessarily expose Georgians to identity theft risk. The transfer of voter roll management responsibility to federal hands would undermine states’ constitutional role in managing elections.

The Trump administration has made clear it wants to build a national database to manage voter rolls. While maintaining accurate voter lists is important for determining eligibility when people have moved or died, this is most effectively done at the state level, closest to the people affected.

A federal takeover of voter roll management would undermine state authority and potentially invite chaos in election administration. It could create a scenario where both state and federal governments make conflicting determinations about voter eligibility.

Political Stakes Remain High

Trump’s history of attempting to influence election results and his willingness to push beyond legal and customary bounds of authority raises the stakes for the 2026 midterms. Giving his administration authority over historical election data would be ill-advised and impractical.

Georgia is expected to play a pivotal role in determining the balance of power in Washington. This year’s midterm race will determine control of the U.S. Senate, with Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff up for reelection. The 2028 election will also see Georgia elect new constitutional officers, including governor.

Voters deserve to go to the polls confident that their votes will count and that results will be accurate. Georgia managing its own voter rolls—not Washington—is how our nation’s founders envisioned elections being best accomplished.

The integrity of our democratic processes demands that state authority over elections be preserved, particularly when federal intervention appears politically motivated rather than driven by legitimate concerns about election security.