Elected leaders react to federal agents' seizing 2020 election ballots from Fulton County

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Fulton County Commissioners Marvin Arrington Jr. and Mo Ivory were joined by state leaders to discuss the FBI search as it happened January 28, 2026.

Credit: Amanda Andrews / GPB News

Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant in Fulton County on Wednesday to collect records from the 2020 general election. 

Three white trucks arrived at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center. They were filled with hundreds of boxes of archived ballots. Agents also took voter rolls, voting machine tabulator tape and any electronic information from the election. 

Since President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, he has routinely alleged widespread voter fraud took place in Fulton County. Multiple recounts and independent audits have validated the results of the county’s election.

At a press conference during the archive seizure, Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts said he’s not sure what will happen to the ballots now that they’ve been moved.

“I can no longer, as chair of this board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure,” he said “So that is a major concern that I have right now. Again, my point is once they were here, as long as they were here in the control of Fulton County, I was confident that they were safe and secure.”

Fulton County leaders are worried there is no chain of custody documenting who handles the estimated 700 boxes of ballots taken from the facility. 

Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr said he wants to make sure there is a complete inventory of the material being taken.

“Once it leaves our control, how can we know if we're gonna get everything back?"  he said. "How can we if they might do something mischievous with it?”

The search and seizure happened while the state and local leaders are preparing for the 2026 midterm elections. Fulton County is the most populated county in the state, with a majority Democratic voting base. 

Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory said this FBI search is an attempt by national leaders to undermine voters’ trust in Fulton County.

“Fulton County runs excellent elections, and that is the fear,” she said. “That Fulton County will again run an excellent election in 2026; it just won't turn out the way that they wanted to.”

County leaders are uncertain where the ballots are headed. On Thursday, the seizure was top of mind for lawmakers at the state Capitol. 

Democrats, such as Atlanta state Rep. Saira Draper, were quick to condemn it. 

"This is a full-on attack on democracy," she said. "This kind of federal interference with the state election function is completely unprecedented." Draper also raised concerns about the chain of custody and security of sensitive voter information.

So far, the FBI has not said what it plans to do with the ballots. 

Republicans, like Cornelia state Rep. Victor Anderson said they have faith in the judicial process. 

“It's being characterized as a raid; it's been sensationalized in the media," he said. "It's being sensationalized here in this room. What we saw yesterday was the lawful execution of a lawfully obtained federal search warrant that was signed by a U.S. Magistrate Court judge.”

Pitts told reporters on Thursday that Fulton County was planning on obeying the warrant and handing over the requested material in the next few weeks. Then, the search was conducted. 

“This is by no means over," he said. "This is by no means over, and we're grateful for everyone around the country who is in this fight with us.”

For now, Fulton County officials said they are carefully planning their next steps.