How Trump Supporters Conspired to Help Him Influence Georgia Election
Earlier this month, the Georgia state election board voted to make it easier for county election officials to delay or refuse certification of election results. But internal emails obtained by Rolling Stone and American Doom reveal that the 3–2 vote along MAGA lines was fueled by a “wishlist” of documents to the board’s Donald Trump supporters from conservative county election officials.“Thank you all for agreeing to provide input on this proposed Rule for Certification Documents needed for Superintendents prior to certification,” Dr. Janice Johnston, a Georgia State election board member, wrote on May 12. “What documents and reports do you need to certify the election results?”That month, despite acknowledging in emails that the errors he had found had only affected “a few ballots,” Gwinnett County election board member—and local election denier—David Hancock demanded more materials to prove that the election had been rigged.In one such email, Hancock claimed that tens of thousands of Georgia voters were registered to vote in other states. Johnston seemingly agreed with the evidenceless claim, forwarding an email containing 27,000 duplicate registrations that she believed were a “perfect match” for Hancock’s pitch.“Assuming this data is correct, the systemic problem is either a failure to detect duplicate registrations or a failure to remove duplicate registrations,” Johnston wrote.The new election certification rules set the stage for chaos come November, especially considering that at least 70 election officials across 16 counties in key swing states, including Georgia, have been identified as pro-Trump election deniers.Trump praised the MAGA members of Georgia’s board days before the vote, describing Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King as “pit bulls fighting for victory.”“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Georgia State Election Board is in a very positive way,” Trump said at his rally in Atlanta. “They’re on fire, they’re doing a great job.”According to the state election board’s website, the body is “entrusted with a variety of responsibilities and authority to protect all Georgians’ right to cast a ballot.”“If anyone needed further proof that Donald Trump’s ‘pit bulls’ for ‘victory’ are working in concert with his 2020 election denying attorney, Cleta Mitchell, here it is,” Georgia Democratic Party Chair and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “They’re determined to establish a new power of not certifying an election result should their preferred candidate lose—as Trump did in 2020.”Georgia has had the largest number of certification refusals since 2020 of anywhere in the country. The five-person board has been accused of ethics violations—including one instance in which its Trump-friendly majority failed to give proper notice to their Democratic colleagues about a meeting that they used to advance changes to state election rules.
Earlier this month, the Georgia state election board voted to make it easier for county election officials to delay or refuse certification of election results. But internal emails obtained by Rolling Stone and American Doom reveal that the 3–2 vote along MAGA lines was fueled by a “wishlist” of documents to the board’s Donald Trump supporters from conservative county election officials.
“Thank you all for agreeing to provide input on this proposed Rule for Certification Documents needed for Superintendents prior to certification,” Dr. Janice Johnston, a Georgia State election board member, wrote on May 12. “What documents and reports do you need to certify the election results?”
That month, despite acknowledging in emails that the errors he had found had only affected “a few ballots,” Gwinnett County election board member—and local election denier—David Hancock demanded more materials to prove that the election had been rigged.
In one such email, Hancock claimed that tens of thousands of Georgia voters were registered to vote in other states. Johnston seemingly agreed with the evidenceless claim, forwarding an email containing 27,000 duplicate registrations that she believed were a “perfect match” for Hancock’s pitch.
“Assuming this data is correct, the systemic problem is either a failure to detect duplicate registrations or a failure to remove duplicate registrations,” Johnston wrote.
The new election certification rules set the stage for chaos come November, especially considering that at least 70 election officials across 16 counties in key swing states, including Georgia, have been identified as pro-Trump election deniers.
Trump praised the MAGA members of Georgia’s board days before the vote, describing Johnston, Rick Jeffares, and Janelle King as “pit bulls fighting for victory.”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the Georgia State Election Board is in a very positive way,” Trump said at his rally in Atlanta. “They’re on fire, they’re doing a great job.”
According to the state election board’s website, the body is “entrusted with a variety of responsibilities and authority to protect all Georgians’ right to cast a ballot.”
“If anyone needed further proof that Donald Trump’s ‘pit bulls’ for ‘victory’ are working in concert with his 2020 election denying attorney, Cleta Mitchell, here it is,” Georgia Democratic Party Chair and U.S. Representative Nikema Williams said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “They’re determined to establish a new power of not certifying an election result should their preferred candidate lose—as Trump did in 2020.”
Georgia has had the largest number of certification refusals since 2020 of anywhere in the country. The five-person board has been accused of ethics violations—including one instance in which its Trump-friendly majority failed to give proper notice to their Democratic colleagues about a meeting that they used to advance changes to state election rules.
