by Michelle Edwards at UnCover DC
Following the discovery of “discrepancies” and without knowing precise totals, the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections (BRE) held an emergency meeting on Sunday, June 5, 2022, to recertify the results of the 2022 primary election. The impromptu session is cause for concern because the certification of election results is an official act, duty, and solemn responsibility. As expressed by Kevin Moncla, the decision to certify an election is one “that obviously and inherently requires command of the facts, understanding of the process, and due diligence to authenticate and reconcile the results—all impossible without having the exact numbers, much less no numbers at all.”
BRE vice-chair Dr. Kathleen Ruth oversaw the spur-of-the-moment meeting, with board members Aaron Johnson and Teresa Crawford also in attendance. Fulton County Election Director Nadine Williams stated that the meeting was taking place under “emergency provisions” because the Georgia Secretary of State (SoS) required Fulton County to certify the May 24 primary election results before 9:00 AM on Monday, June 6, “and there was simply no other time in which a meeting could be held with a Quorum.” Williams added that Fulton County Information Systems Manager Dominic Olomo would further explain why recertification of the results was necessary.
The BRE gave little public notice about the meeting, and the standard live stream link on the Fulton County website was inaccessible. Likewise, the meeting instead streamed on Facebook and began one hour late. It was not open to public comment.
On Monday, June 6, citing procedures void of transparency, Kevin Moncla filed an official complaint against the BRE’s last-minute measures with the Georgia State Election Board, including Mr. Matt Mashburn, Dr. Jan Johnston, Mr. Edward Lindsey, Mrs. Sara Tindall Ghazal, and Mr. Brad Raffensperger. Requesting immediate attention from the Board, Moncla’s detailed claim asserts that the noticeable silence about the meeting, along with the “impromptu recertification of election results on a Sunday afternoon,” is simply unacceptable.