The FBI executed a raid on the central election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, on Wednesday 28 January, seizing ballots cast in the 2020 election. The operation marks an unprecedented federal intervention in local election records.
Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, was present during the raid. A senior administration official told the New York Times that Gabbard has a pivotal role in election security and protecting the integrity of elections against interference.
The FBI sought not only physical ballots but also tabulator tapes for every voting machine used in Fulton County, ballot images from the original count and recount, and voter rolls including absentee and early voting records. In total, over 700 boxes of election records were taken.
The raid follows a November 2024 subpoena from the Republican-dominated state election board for 2020 election materials from Fulton County. After the county sought to quash the subpoena, the board requested assistance from Attorney General Pam Bondi, leading to a Department of Justice lawsuit in December alleging violation of the Civil Rights Act.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims about fraud in Georgia's 2020 election, including allegations of dead voters and suitcase ballots, which have been proven false through multiple recounts. Trump recently told the New York Times he regretted not ordering the National Guard to seize voting machines after his 2020 loss.
