Website warning of cyberattack in Georgia’s largest county removed after it confused some voters

Warnings of an “unexpected IT outage” Tuesday on the election website of Georgia’s most populous county prompted alarm on social media about potential problems with the state’s presidential primary, concerns election officials quickly dispelled.

A red banner atop county webpages warning of a “System Outage” was actually related to a January cyberattack that temporarily crippled government services in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta. It did not indicate any problems with Tuesday’s voting, officials said.

“Today has gone relatively uneventful, smooth,” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, told reporters during an afternoon media briefing.

Some users on X, formerly known as Twitter, questioned whether the warning banner was a sign of a “glitch” or primary election “cheating.” Others wondered if it indicated problems at the polls.

The banner had been posted on county web pages since well before the final day of primary voting and warned of an “unexpected IT outage currently affecting multiple systems.” It directed visitors to a March 4 update about the cyberattack and the progress the county has made to restore services.

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