ATLANTA — A judge in Georgia decided on Saturday to dismiss a lawsuit from Republican officials aimed at preventing counties from operating election offices on the weekend for in-person ballot submissions.
The lawsuit specifically targeted Fulton County, recognized as a Democratic bastion that encompasses a significant portion of Atlanta and accounts for about 11% of Georgia’s electorate. However, at least five similarly populous counties that lean Democratic also confirmed their election offices would be open for voters to drop off absentee ballots during the weekend.
Filed late on Friday, the lawsuit referenced a portion of Georgia law indicating that ballot drop boxes must close after the end of the early voting period, which concluded on Friday. Yet, the law permits voters to deliver their absentee ballots directly to county election offices until polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day. Despite this clear definition, attorney Alex Kaufman initially argued during an emergency hearing on Saturday that voters should not be permitted to hand-deliver the absentee ballots that they received by mail.
Kaufman further contended that there should be a prohibition on voters hand-delivering their ballots from the end of early voting on Friday until the start of Election Day on Tuesday, despite asserting that mailed ballots during this timeframe would be acceptable. Traditionally, Georgia election offices have accepted mail ballots submitted over the counter.
During an online hearing, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer consistently dismissed Kaufman’s claims and ruled against him verbally.
“I find that it is not a violation of those two code sections for a voter to hand-return their absentee ballots,” Farmer confirmed.
Republicans have scrutinized election practices in Fulton County for many years, particularly following claims from former President Donald Trump, who baselessly accused county officials of electoral fraud in 2020.
State Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon has charged that Democratic-controlled counties are “illegally accepting ballots.” This narrative gained momentum online among Republican supporters on Saturday, particularly after a Fulton County election official informed staff that observers would not be allowed inside election offices while ballots were being returned.
Nadine Williams, the elections director for Fulton County, clarified during the hearing that those facilities are considered county offices rather than polling locations, which means that partisan observers have never had the right to monitor these environments.
However, shortly thereafter, Williams sent a follow-up email indicating that the public should have access to the process without needing specific badges or credentials. She mentioned that members of an independent monitoring group observing the election procedures in Fulton County would be present, as well as potential investigators from the secretary of state’s office.
By Saturday afternoon, Fulton County spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez reported that fewer than 30 ballots had been submitted at the four designated locations.
