A Georgia judge said Monday he is inclined to unseal absentee ballots in Fulton County to allow a government watchdog to investigate allegations of voting fraud in the November 2020 election.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported the lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court alleges fraudulent ballots were cast in the 2020 election and other irregularities occurred in the vote count at State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s office investigated the claims and dismissed them. But at a hearing Monday, Henry County Superior Court Judge Brian Amero said he’s inclined to order a review by experts hired by voting-integrity advocate Garland Favorito.
The judge asked for a plan to maintain the security of the ballots, which by state law are under seal with county officials.
“We want to do this in such a way that dispels rumors and disinformation and sheds light,” the judge said.
The Atlanta paper said the case “is part of a wave of lawsuits that have alleged fraud or misconduct in the November presidential election. Some sought to overturn Joe Biden’s win in Georgia, while others sought to change election rules for the January U.S. Senate runoffs.”
Recently, government watchdog Judicial Watch sued Raffensperger, alleging his office violated the Georgia Open Records Act
Raffensperger’s actions have been questioned because he reached a 2020 lawsuit settlement that eased the requirements for accepting absentee ballots.
Lawsuits in six battleground states challenged similar moves by state election officials, arguing the Constitution grants state legislatures the sole authority to establish election laws.
The Favorito case seeks to resolve allegations county workers fabricated ballots and counted others multiple times.
The case cites a video showing workers at State Farm Arena counting ballots from suitcases they pulled from under a table after poll watchers left, as well as sworn statements from witnesses.
The Journal Constitution said election observers were suspicious of ballots that appeared to be counterfeit.
The ballots “were printed on a different stock of paper than regular ballots, appeared to have been printed instead of marked by ink in a voter’s hand or were not creased, indicating they had not been placed in an absentee ballot envelope and mailed.”
A spokesman for the secretary of state’s office said the witnesses “don’t understand what they’re saying.”
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