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Georgia Today: FBI seized Fulton County ballots; Another winter storm watch; ICE protests in Macon
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On the Jan. 29 edition: The FBI seized ballots and other election data from a Fulton County elections warehouse in Union City; Parts of Georgia are under another winter storm watch; And hundreds of ICE protesters marched in Macon last night
TRANSCRIPT:
Peter Biello: Welcome to the Georgia Today podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the FBI seized hundreds of boxes of ballots yesterday and other election data from an elections warehouse in Union City. Parts of Georgia are under a winter storm watch and hundreds of protesters marched to the steps of the federal courthouse in Macon last night.
Jeremy Ethridge: I've never been to a protest before in my life. I'm looking at the equal protection under the law and our due process rights being eroded before my eyes on a daily basis.
Peter Biello: Today is Thursday, January 29th. I'm Peter Biello, and this is Georgia Today.
Story 1
Peter Biello: Fulton County officials are reeling after the FBI seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and other election data from an elections warehouse in Union City. During a search yesterday, FBI agents took hundreds of the boxes of the ballots from Georgia's 2020 election from an election hub in Fulton County. GPB's Amanda Andrews has more.
Amanda Andrews: Three white trucks were filled with archived ballots from Fulton County, the most populated county in the state. President Donald Trump has routinely alleged widespread voter fraud took place in Fulton in 2020. Multiple audits have validated the votes and the county's election results. Fulton County Chairman Rob Pitts says he's not sure what will happen to the ballots now that they've been moved.
Rob Pitts: 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. So that is a major concern that I have right now.
Amanda Andrews: Fulton County leaders are not sure where the ballots are headed. For GPB News, I'm Amanda Andrews.
Peter Biello: Pitts spoke during a press briefing today and did not disclose the next steps for the county but says Fulton will fight with every resource they have.
Rob Pitts: This is by no means over. This is by no means over. And we're grateful for everyone around the country who is in this fight with us.
Peter Biello: Pitts told reporters that the county was already planning on complying with the warrant and handing over requested material prior to the FBI's seizure. Meanwhile, the FBI seizure of ballots in Fulton County was top of mind for lawmakers at the state Capitol today. GPB's Sarah Kallis reports.
Sarah Kallis: Democrats like Atlanta Rep. Saira Draper were quick to criticize the ballot seizure.
Saira Draper: This is a full-on attack on democracy.
Sarah Kallis: Meanwhile, Republicans, including Rep. Victor Anderson, who represents Rabun and Habersham counties, says he has faith in the judicial process.
Victor Anderson: What we saw yesterday was the lawful execution of a lawfully obtained federal search warrant.
Sarah Kallis: Republicans took 700 boxes of 2020 election ballots and other election material from the Fulton County Elections Warehouse in Union City and have not said what they plan to do with them. While President Trump has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election, multiple audits have found the results to be accurate. For GPB News, I'm Sarah Kallis at the state Capitol.
Story 2
Peter Biello: The FBI's seizure of ballots in Fulton County has reignited questions about the 2020 election, even after multiple audits found no evidence of fraud. So what does a move like this mean for election security and public trust? For more on that, we turn to David Becker. He's the executive director and founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research. David, thank you for speaking with me.
David Becker: Thanks for having me on, Peter.
Peter Biello: So why now, a year after Trump's second inauguration, is this happening?
David Becker: That's a great question that probably should be posed to the Department of Justice and the Trump administration. As you noted, the 2020 election in Georgia was not only verified and confirmed through multiple means, it was one of the great achievements of American history, not just in Georgia, but nationwide. Somehow, election workers, Republicans and Democrats, worked together in the middle of a global pandemic to manage the highest turnout we've ever seen in American history. And that election has withstood scrutiny, unlike any election in world history has seen. In Georgia specifically, those paper ballots — and every ballot was cast on paper in Georgia in 2020, unlike 2016 — those new paper ballots that were used in 2020 were counted three times, three different ways, once entirely by hand with observation from both candidates and the parties. So now over five years later, we see the Department of Justice come in, requesting evidence, and it — it's very clear there's no crime that was committed. If anything, there was a great achievement that that's been done. But unfortunately, this is going to fuel further disinformation and unfortunately, distrust of our election system.
Peter Biello: If the statute of limitations has run out — and there's some legal debate on whether or not it has — then what do you think the ultimate end goal of this raid is?
David Becker: Yeah, I think the end goal is not to use this evidence in any kind of proceeding. In fact, there's a real question as to whether or not the DOJ has retained chain of custody on these boxes of ballots that they've seized in such a way that they could introduce them into evidence in court. Unlike what had happened up until yesterday, those ballots were maintained under a strict chain of custody, meaning the election officials and others knew where they were and who had access to them at every moment of time. There were strict log books, strict security. Now we don't know that, and there's going to be a gap, and if they ever try to introduce them, I suspect that they'll be inadmissible. Which tells you that this is probably not about introducing evidence in court. Every time anyone has gone into court trying to prove fraud in 2020, they've failed. Oftentimes they've conceded that they lied. And here we're likely seeing that I think the DOJ doesn't want to go to court, doesn't want to present evidence, doesn' t want to have it cross-examined and scrutinized, which means they want to do something that's outside the courts. And what we might see —and listen for this: We might see in the next few days or weeks, claims that they found something, but they'll be put out just on social media and press conference and on friendly media. And ask yourself, "If they found something, why haven't they brought it to court? Why haven't they subjected it to scrutiny, just like the election officials' work was put to scrutiny over these last five years?"
Peter Biello: So what implications could there be for the general election later this year? After all, Fulton County is the state's most populous county, leans heavily Democrat.
David Becker: You know, it's wait and see what this means for 2026. I think we can expect given some of the rhetoric coming out of the White House over the last year that we're going to see further disinformation. We're going see efforts to inspire distrust in our elections. And the more we hear them, what we should be thinking is, "What does this mean about what the president thinks is going to happen in the election?" If you think you're going win an election, you don't devalue or delegitimize that election in advance. You — that election is going to validate you and your party. But if you think you're going to lose an election, that's when you start seeing disinformation being spread. And now, of course, the president has the full arm, every lever of the federal government to assist him. And unfortunately, that could amplify a lot of this disinformation. There is good news in Georgia, though. And the good news is Georgia runs exceptionally good elections. And their voter lists are exceptionally clean, really state-of-the-art. The gold standard of voter lists and elections, thanks to the professionals. And Georgia also makes it extremely easy to vote. Voters can choose to vote early in person, they can chose to vote by mail without an excuse, or they can vote on Election Day. And so, Georgia voters, as much as voters all across the nation, are gonna find a really convenient, safe, secure process to vote. And I expect we're gonna see very high turnout in a secure election with high integrity.
Peter Biello: Do you foresee a possible effort by state or federal government to take over Fulton County elections?
David Becker: I mean, I think there might be some rhetoric along those lines, but the Constitution is very clear. The founders wrote Article 1, Section 4, the elections clause into the Constitution, which says that the state legislatures regulate elections. Congress can also regulate elections, but the executive branch, the president, has no authority over elections whatsoever, and I have a great deal of confidence in the American people and the American — and the election officials in the courts that despite any rhetoric, it will be Georgia election officials elected by Georgians who run elections.
Peter Biello: David Becker is the executive director and founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research. David, thank you so much for speaking with me.
David Becker: Thanks, thanks for having me on, Peter.
Story 3
Peter Biello: Protests against the current wave of immigration enforcement continue across Georgia this week. In Macon, hundreds marched last night to the steps of the federal courthouse. The group included Macon attorney Jeremy Ethridge.
Jeremy Ethridge: I've never been to a protest before in my life. I'm looking at the equal protection under the law and our due process rights being eroded before my eyes on a daily basis. This can't continue and us have a free country.
Peter Biello: Protests are expected to continue Friday at dozens of high schools, mostly in metro Atlanta.
Story 4
Peter Biello: A dispute over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, could lead to a partial government shutdown just after midnight Friday. This comes after the deaths of two citizens in Minneapolis shot by ICE agents. Senate Democrats are saying they won't vote for a bill that includes funding for the agency. Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff places the blame on Republicans, saying Congress has the votes to pass a budget without including funding for ICE.
Jon Ossoff: There are the votes in the Senate right now to pass funding bills for the overwhelming majority of federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, including the Department Of Transportation. At issue are policy within just two federal agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.
Peter Biello: He called for Senate Leader John Thune to pass an amended appropriations bill ahead of the deadline.
Story 5
Peter Biello: State highway officials say crews will begin brining critical routes in east-central Georgia beginning tomorrow ahead of likely snow. The Georgia Department of Transportation says plow operations are expected on Saturday morning. Augusta, Athens and Gainesville are among the areas in the winter storm watch.
Story 6
Peter Biello: Georgia's Senate Committee on Special Investigations is pushing to wrap up its two-year probe by the end of the legislative session in April. At a hearing on Tuesday, the committee laid out a timeline for calling remaining witnesses, including Democratic former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams. Committee Chair, Athens Republican Bill Cowsert, said the urgency behind the schedule is upcoming November election.
Bill Cowsert: Quite a few people on this committee are running for statewide office, and I know the realities of when we finish up on April the 2nd, there are going to be people spreading all over the state, campaigning and fundraising.
Peter Biello: The committee was created in 2024 to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought criminal charges against President Donald Trump and others for trying to overturn the 2020 election. Last year, the investigation expanded to include campaign finance violations by organizations associated with Abrams.
Story 7
Peter Biello: A federal judge has rejected Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's request to raise unlimited funds for his gubernatorial campaign. His independent committee filed a lawsuit seeking permission to bypass fundraising limits. Raffensperger argues the current law violates his First Amendment rights since his opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, can raise unlimited funds under a 2021 law. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross ruled against Raffensperger, although she acknowledged that the law might be unconstitutional. Raffensperger has appealed to The law allows so-called leadership committees to raise money for certain officeholders year-round, potentially giving those candidates an edge.
Story 8
Peter Biello: Norfolk Southern's quarterly profit slipped 12% amid the uncertain economy. The Atlanta-based railroad today also reported millions of dollars in costs related to its efforts to merge with Union Pacific to create a transcontinental railroad. The company's CEO said Norfolk's Southern is focused on improving efficiency while it works to draft a merger application for federal regulators to consider. Those regulators rejected the two railroad's initial merger application, citing lack of details.
Story 9
Peter Biello: Mercer University's Center for Southern Studies has awarded the 2026 Thomas Robinson Prize for Southern Literature to poet and author Kevin Young. Young is poetry editor of The New Yorker and the author of the poetry collection Jelly Roll, which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Young has taught at Emory University in UGA and previously served as curator of Emory university's Raymond Donowski Poetry Library. The prize will be presented next month at Mercer University's president's dining room.
Story 10
Peter Biello: In sports, Brad Guzan, who retired last year as Atlanta United's all-time leader in appearances, wins, saves and shutouts, has been named the team's club ambassador and sporting advisor. Atlanta United announced the move today, keeping Guzan with the five stripes in a front office position after 21 years on the field. In his new role, he's expected to support all areas of soccer operations while also working in the team community efforts. Highlights of his career include winning the 2018 MLS Cup and the 2019 U.S. Open Cup with Atlanta. Guzan says the team also has left him the flexibility to explore work as a TV analyst.
That's a wrap on Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the latest Georgia news. You can always check gpb.org/news for updates. And remember to subscribe to this podcast. It's the best way to keep us current in your podcast feed.
Your feedback is welcome and the best to send it to us is by email. When you email georgiatoday@gpb.org, your message goes to the whole team. Again, that's georgatoday@gpb.org.
I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.
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