Election board member in Georgia’s Fulton County abstains from certifying primary election

ATLANTA (AP) — The election board in Georgia’s largest county voted on Tuesday to certify its May 21 election results, but not before one of the board’s Republican-appointed members abstained.

The abstention by Fulton County election board member Julie Adams aligns with her lawsuit seeking to more closely control election operations and to win a legal ruling finding county election boards can refuse to certify election results.

Reading a prepared statement, Adams argued she couldn’t accept the results given prior election administration problems in the county, and argued that the board has illegally given its powers to employees.

“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. “And in my duty as a board member, I want to make sure that happens.”

The other four members, including Republican-appointed Michael Heekin, voted to certify the results in what Elections Director Nadine Williams called a “very successful election.”

In question is a portion of Georgia law that says county officials “shall” certify results after engaging in a process to make sure they are accurate. Those who disagree with Adams, including the Democratic Party of Georgia, argue that the law gives county election board members no wiggle room to vote against certifying results, saying the lawsuit is a ploy by the supporters of Donald Trump.

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