Georgia Officials Admit Breaching 2020 Ballot Certification Rules

(MENAFN) Election authorities in Georgia have acknowledged significant violations of ballot certification procedures during the 2020 presidential contest. US President Donald Trump, who was defeated by Joe Biden, has repeatedly asserted that the election was “stolen” and plagued by extensive fraud and irregularities.

This admission, made earlier in December, stemmed from a complaint filed by election integrity advocate David Cross. He accused Fulton County—Georgia’s largest county—of unlawfully certifying at least 315,000 ballots in 2020.

Biden secured victory in Georgia, which carries 16 electoral votes, by fewer than 12,000 ballots before ultimately winning the Electoral College with a margin of 306–232.

The dispute revolves around tabulator tapes generated by voting machines during early voting. State regulations require each tabulator to produce closing tapes signed by poll workers to validate the recorded totals.

Through an open records request, Cross discovered at least 134 tabulator tapes lacking signatures, meaning the related ballots could not have been legally certified.

He also raised concerns about missing “zero tapes,” which are intended to confirm machines began counting from zero at the start of polling, as well as inconsistencies involving scanner serial numbers and unusually late poll closing times.

At a recent State Election Board hearing, Ann Brumbaugh, legal counsel for the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, stated the county “does not dispute the allegations,” admitting the lapse as a breach of election board rules.

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