Officials in Fulton County, Georgia, have come under scrutiny after attempting to dismiss a subpoena from the Georgia State Election Board, arguing that producing election-related materials would be overly burdensome. County representatives previously claimed that complying would involve reviewing and delivering approximately 750 boxes of documents tied to the 2020 election. However, following an FBI raid on January 28, federal agents reportedly removed only 656 boxes—sometimes cited as 653—raising questions among state officials about the apparent discrepancy.
Janice Johnston, vice chair of the Georgia State Election Board, publicly questioned the difference in figures. Speaking to The Daily Signal, she noted that the gap between earlier estimates and the number of boxes taken by the FBI could represent a substantial amount of material. Johnston pointed out that even a difference of 50 boxes would be significant, and nearly 100 boxes’ difference warranted closer examination. She also referenced an affidavit from the county that described the storage as containing “over 700 boxes,” suggesting that the varying estimates were difficult to reconcile.
In response, the State Election Board has submitted a records request to Fulton County officials. The request seeks detailed information about any materials that may have been moved, removed, or otherwise handled in the weeks leading up to the FBI’s search. Johnston emphasized that the county is effectively the focus of the inquiry and said the board has not been assured that all relevant materials were accounted for at the time of the raid.
According to court documents cited by Georgia Public Broadcasting, the FBI seized a range of election-related materials, including ballots, tabulator tapes, and ballot images connected to a recount. Johnston has also raised concerns about ballot images, claiming that roughly 370,000 are unaccounted for. She has argued that such records were required to be preserved under Georgia law and has called for clarification about their status.
After the raid, Fulton County filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice, seeking the return of the seized materials and requesting that federal authorities refrain from reviewing them until the legal dispute is resolved. Johnston criticized the move, describing it as excessive, especially given the county’s ongoing disagreements with the State Election Board over access to the same documents.
Fulton County officials, however, maintain that they fully complied with the FBI’s search warrant. A county spokesperson stated that agents spent several hours on-site reviewing records and were given access to all relevant 2020 election materials. According to the county, the FBI independently selected which documents to remove, and the matter is now in the hands of the courts.
