Court Fines Fulton Board After Democrats Block Appointment of Election Deniers

A state judge ruled to hold the Fulton County, Georgia Board of Commissioners in civil contempt after two Democrats blocked the appointment of two Republican election deniers to the board of elections. 

The Board of Commissioners was ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 a day, beginning Friday, until it appoints Julie Adams and Jason Frazier — the Fulton GOP’s nominees — to the county board of elections. 

Last week, the two Democrats on the Board of Commissioners voted against appointing Adams and Frazier to the board of elections, despite a recent court order that ruled it did not have the authority to reject the duo’s nomination. The Board of Commissioners appealed the court’s ruling, but their request to temporarily pause the order was denied— though the appeal will continue to move forward. 

Only four of the Board’s seven commissioners were present at last week’s vote, resulting in a 2-2 deadlock vote in appointing Adams and Frazier. District 3 Commissioner Dana Barrett and District 4 Commissioner Mo Ivory, both Democrats, voted against appointing the duo, citing their long history of election denialism and attempts to undermine democracy as reasons for being unfit to serve on the board.

“It’s not about partisan politics, it is about ensuring our Board of Elections are held to the highest level of accountability, and that our elections are fair,” Ivory said before the vote.

“They’re election deniers and they’re doing everything they can to undermine faith in our elections,” Barrett added.

In response, the Fulton GOP asked a state court to hold Barrett, Ivory and the three other Democrats on the board who missed the vote in criminal and civil contempt. Though the Fulton GOP asked the court to impose up to 20 days of imprisonment for the five board members, in addition to fines, the court ruled to only impose fines. 

“It’s good to see courts not bowing to the Republican Party’s authoritarian thirst,” Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo said in a statement. “Let’s be clear: the GOP is trying to criminalize democracy itself, demanding elected officials be held in criminal contempt and face jail time for doing their jobs.”

“When I ran for a seat on the county commission, I never could have anticipated that I would be facing jail time for doing my job,” Barrett said during a press conference before the court hearing Wednesday morning. “But here we are.” 

Ivory, who also spoke at Wednesday morning’s press conference, reemphasized that her vote against Adams and Frazier was not about partisan politics but “protecting democracy in Fulton County.” 

“I want everybody to know that I will guard the fairness and transparency of our elections, and that I will never surrender the people’s power to private interests,” she said.