“Republican” election official in crucial Georgia appeals order saying she must certify results / AP News

By KATE BRUMBACK. Updated 8:13 PM EDT, October 24, 2024.

@RalphHightower: I have one question for state, county, and local employees of government. Trump taught Trumpers, formerly known as Republicans, how to sew doubt on elections, election integrity.

  • Judge’s Order: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that election board members must certify election results by the legal deadline.
  • Appeal Filed: Julie Adams, a Republican official, is appealing this order, arguing that her duties should be discretionary and that she needs full access to election materials.
  • Certification Deadline: Georgia law requires county election results to be certified by 5 p.m. on the Monday after an election, or the Tuesday if Monday is a holiday.
  • Political Context: Certification has become contentious since the 2020 election, with concerns about officials refusing to certify results if they suspect fraud.

Julie Adams — a member of the election board in Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta and is a Democratic stronghold — had filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration that her duties as an election board member were discretionary and that she is entitled to “full access” to “election materials.”

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled this month that “no election superintendent (or member of a board of elections and registration) may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance.”

Adams filed a notice of appeal Wednesday to the Georgia Court of Appeals over the part of McBurney’s order that says she “is required to vote in favor of certifying the election results by the deadline,” according to the filing. She also disputes McBurney’s assertion that the appropriate venue for her to voice concerns is an election challenge in the courts.