Fulton County hopes to have final vote count by midnight on Election Day

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Leaders of Georgia’s most populous county expect to be the focus of nationwide attention once again on election day.

Channel 2 Investigative Reporter Justin Gray was in Fulton County Monday, where officials said their goal is to get results quickly and have a final count by midnight on Election Day.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect election, but what I can do though is ensure the public in Fulton County that every legal vote will be counted,” Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts told told Gray.

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Georgia’s new election law, Senate Bill 202, gave the state election board extra powers to monitor county election offices it deemed troubled. With that authority, they are placing extra monitors across Fulton County polling places this year.

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“The state election board, using the performance review board, has got about 100 people lined up to watch election operations at the polling locations and the English Street warehouse to make sure they are following all the rules and laws,” Gabriel Sterling, Georgia’s Deputy Secretary of State said.

This summer, Fulton county election workers Shaye Moss and Ruby Freeman testified before the January 6th committee in Congress about the threats and harassment they were subject to from election conspiracy theorists.

The FBI even warned them to leave their homes.

“They did not want me at my home because of all the threats,” Freeman testified.

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A Channel 2 Action News investigation in December 2020 used surveillance video to debunk the false, baseless conspiracy theory that Fulton County election workers pulled extra fake ballots out of suitcases at State Farm Arena.

Now Fulton officials say poll security and safety are top priorities

“We do have security at almost every polling site to make sure the voters and poll staff are safe,” Interim Fulton Elections Director Nadine Williams said.

State says we could see big voter turnout on Election Day Midterm elections normally have a lower turnout, but the 2022 Georgia turnout is more like a presidential year, the state said.

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