Fulton County Dems Defy Court Order, Block Appointment of Election Deniers
Two members of the Fulton County, Georgia Board of Commissioners defied a court order and blocked the appointment of two election deniers to the county board of elections.
During Wednesday’s board of commissioner’s meeting, District 3 Commissioner Dana Barrett and District 4 Commissioner Mo Ivory, both Democrats, voted against appointing Republicans Julie Adams and Jason Frazier to the board. In May, the Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 to reject Adams’ and Frazier’s nominations — but the county Republican party sued claiming the board violated state law by rejecting their nominations.
Earlier this month, a state court found that the Board of Commissioners did not have the authority to reject Adams and Frazier and ordered it to appoint the duo to the county board of elections during its next meeting.
The Board of Commissioners appealed the court’s ruling, but their request to temporarily pause the order was denied.
At the end of Wednesday’s meeting, only four of the board’s seven commissioners remained to vote, resulting in a 2-2 deadlock vote in appointing Adams and Frazier.
In an email to Democracy Docket prior to the meeting, Barrett said she was planning to vote against the appointments despite the court order.
“I am a no and will risk contempt charges and fines or jail to defend democracy,” Barrett wrote.
It is unclear what consequences Barrett and Ivory will face for defying the court’s order. Last week, Fulton Republicans asked the court to hold the board in contempt for refusing to appoint Adams and Frazier. A state court judge had reserved his ruling on the GOP’s motion pending today’s meeting.
“A Petition for Contempt of Judge Emerson’s Order should be filed immediately and I hope the Judge will consider not only a fine but jail time for the unlawful defiance of a lawful court order,” Josh McKoon, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party, wrote on X.
In a statement, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffesperger (R) called the board’s vote “reckless” and said they must follow the court order, but stopped short of calling for a fine or jail time.
“The actions of the commissioners undermine trust in government,” Raffensperger said. “I call on the Fulton Commission to follow the rule of law and appoint all bipartisan appointees, not just the ones they prefer.”
“This is a red-alert moment for democracy in Georgia,” said Fair Fight CEO Lauren Groh-Wargo. “Unelected Republican Party operatives are trying to dictate how elected Fulton County Commissioners vote, exploiting contradictions in state law and municipal code to seat extremist activists. Adams and Frazier are bad-faith actors and, if appointed, we expect they will undermine and try to break the very election system they’re supposed to uphold and improve. What happens here today will echo nationwide.”
Adams, who previously served on the board, refused to certify the county’s 2024 primary election results, claiming she didn’t have access to all information about the voting process. She also has ties to the Cleta-Mitchell-led Election Integrity Network (EIN) and the right-wing Tea Party Patriots.
Frazier also has a long history of election controversy. Frazier has challenged nearly 10,000 voter registrations in Fulton County and claims to have successfully challenged over 25,000. In August 2024, he filed a lawsuit against the election board, falsely claiming that they failed to properly maintain the county’s voter rolls and respond to voter challenges. The lawsuit was voluntarily dismissed a month later.
“When elected officials obstruct the law and openly defy a judge’s lawful order, accountability at this point is essential,” the Fulton County GOP posted on X minutes after the board’s vote to block Adams’ and Frazier’s appointment, tagging the U.S. Department of Justice in their post.
“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 she voted to block Adams’ and Frazier’s appointments.
“They’re election deniers and they’re doing everything they can to undermine faith in our elections,” Barrett said before casting her vote.
This article has been updated with statements from Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, the Fulton County GOP, and Georgia Republican Party Chairman Josh McKoon.