Election workers fired after shredding voter registration applications, GA officials say
Two county elections workers in Georgia are out of a job after they were accused of shredding hundreds of voter registration applications, Fulton County Registration & Elections Director Richard Barron announced Monday.
Approximately 300 paper registration applications related to upcoming municipal elections were destroyed by the accused employees, who weren’t named, WSB-TV reported. The registration forms were received within the last two weeks.
“Instead of fully processing them, in some instances the employees allegedly shredded the forms,” Barron said at a news conference streamed by WAGA, adding that it was fellow elections workers who blew the whistle. “The employees were fired (Friday).”
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has since called on the U.S Justice Department to investigate the shredding incident, saying the state’s voters are “sick of Fulton County’s failures.”
“After 20 years of documented failure in Fulton County elections, Georgians are tired of waiting to see what the next embarrassing revelation will be,” Raffensperger said in a statement. “The Department of Justice needs to take a long look at what Fulton County is doing and how their leadership disenfranchises Fulton voters through incompetence and malfeasance.”
The secretary of state has previously called for an investigation into Fulton County’s election system after voters encountered hours-long waits at the polls, malfunctioning machines and other issues during the primaries last June, McClatchy News reported.
The latest shredding allegations have also been reported to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office for investigation, according to County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts.
“Elections are the most important function of our government,” Pitts said in a statement. “We have committed to transparency and integrity.”
Residents who try to vote in an upcoming election but aren’t registered may use a provisional ballot to vote, county elections officials said. Anyone with questions is asked to contact the Fulton County Department of Registration & Elections at 404-612-7030.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Election workers fired after shredding voter registration applications, GA officials say."