Metro Atlanta counties certify May primary election results

Adams also filed a lawsuit against her own board last week, arguing that she could not fulfill her duties as a board member without access to “essential election materials and processes.” His lawsuit also seeks a ruling that his obligation to certify the election results is based on his own discretion and is not mandatory.

Credit: Jim Gaines

Credit: Jim Gaines

In DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett, Henry, Fayette and Clayton counties, the election results were certified unanimously. No counties reported major problems with election administration.

Some Republicans have repeatedly cast doubt on the election since President Donald Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid. Allegations of ballot stuffing, illegal voters, rigged machines and counterfeit ballots have all were debunked during investigations.

The Georgia Democratic Party decided to intervene in Adams’ lawsuit, fearing that Trump and his supporters would try to block certification of the November election if he does not win.

A few GOP election board members in metro Atlanta have voted not to certify election results in recent years — a mostly performative way of protesting or demonstrating doubts about the electoral process.

Those in Cobb and DeKalb who had already voted against certification did not do so in the May primary results.

At Fulton’s elections board meeting Tuesday, Adams said the department “needs to fix the way we run our elections.”

“Currently, all major decisions are made by staff and behind closed doors,” Adams said. “If we have no transparency to the board, what does that mean in terms of transparency to the people we serve?

Other board members said they had confidence in the department’s staff, which has resisted increased scrutiny in recent years.

“The people in this department do exceptional work every year. The problem we have in Fulton County is the continued misrepresentation of what is really happening,” said board member Aaron Johnson. “No one has been watched or monitored as harshly as Fulton County, but yet we still stand.”

The election was certified despite Adams’ abstention.

Several local elections will result in a runoff, scheduled for June 18, three U.S. Congressional elections, the DeKalb County CEO race and the Clayton County sheriff race.

Staff writers Alia Pharr, Leon Stafford and Sara Gregory contributed to this report.