Election board member sues Fulton county for denying access to 2024 election data, preventing her from assessing potential fraud in Georgia

Julie Adams, a Republican member of the Fulton County Board of Elections, has filed a lawsuit against the county, the board, and the county's election director, claiming she was denied access to important election information from this year's primaries. Adams had desired more access to the records to prevent fraud in the county's elections. 

The lawsuit, filed last week, accused Fulton County Election Director Nadine Williams of consistently obstructing Adams from performing her duties as a board member. She also voted against certifying the May 21 primary for state-level offices in the legislature. 

"Over the years, the Board has purportedly delegated core BRE responsibilities to an appointed Election Director. Plaintiff swore an oath to ‘prevent fraud, deceit, and abuse’ in Fulton County elections and to ‘make a true and perfect return,'" the lawsuit stated. 

"These obligations are frustrated by the repeated and continuing refusal to allow Plaintiff access to, and direct knowledge of, the information Plaintiff reasonably believes she needs to execute her duties faithfully and thoroughly." 

Adams alleged that her obligations as a member of the Board of Elections have been undermined by a persistent refusal to provide her with necessary information. She claimed that her requests for election materials and documents related to election results were denied by Williams, who claimed that the materials undergo a "rigorous validation process" and should "simply be trusted." 

In response to her inability to access vital information, Adams voted against certifying the results of the state-level congressional May 21 primary. Her lawsuit explained that without the requisite information, she could not fulfill her responsibilities on the board. On Tuesday, Adams abstained from voting to certify the results, as reported by Fox 5 Atlanta. 

“It’s time to fix the problems in our elections by ensuring compliance with the law, transparency in election conduct and accuracy in results,” Adams said in a prepared statement after abstaining. “And in my duty as a board member, I want to make sure that happens,” according to USNews. 

Adams is seeking a ruling from the Fulton County Superior Court to clarify the role of the county’s election director and to grant her access to election materials. 

The lawsuit comes after questions have been cast on the integrity of the election process in the Georgia county. Fulton county has also been recently reprimanded for double counting approximately 3,075 ballots in the 2020 presidential election.