Fulton County Demands Return of 2020 Ballots Seized by FBI/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Fulton County officials are asking a federal court to return 2020 election materials seized by the FBI. The county also seeks to unseal the FBI’s affidavit used to obtain the search warrant. Chairman Robb Pitts says the case has broader implications for elections nationwide.
Fulton County Election Dispute: Quick Looks
- FBI seized 2020 election materials from Fulton County warehouse on Jan. 28
- County seeks return of ballots, tapes, and voter rolls through federal court motion
- Officials also request unsealing of the FBI’s search affidavit
- Chairman Robb Pitts says the seizure lacks transparency and justification
- Trump and allies have targeted Fulton since his Georgia loss in 2020
- FBI took hundreds of boxes, leaving county officials in the dark
- Presence of intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard during raid sparks criticism
- County maintains clean election record since 2020 with 17 successful elections
Deep Look: Fulton County Demands Return of 2020 Ballots Seized by FBI
ATLANTA — Fulton County officials are taking legal action to reclaim hundreds of boxes of 2020 election materials seized by the FBI during a raid on January 28. The county’s motion, filed in federal court, not only demands the return of ballots and documents but also seeks to unseal a sworn affidavit from a law enforcement agent that convinced a judge to approve the search.
County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said Wednesday that while the filing remains under seal due to the ongoing investigation, the public deserves transparency. “This case isn’t just about Fulton County. It’s about elections across Georgia — and across the nation,” Pitts stated.
The seized materials include ballots, vote tabulation tapes, ballot images from scanning machines, and voter rolls from the 2020 general election. Despite the large-scale removal of election data, local officials say they’ve received no explanation from federal authorities regarding the purpose of the seizure.
Fulton County, Georgia’s most populous and a Democratic stronghold, has been a key focus of Donald Trump and his supporters, who continue to dispute his narrow 2020 loss in the state. Trump has long alleged — without providing evidence — that massive fraud in the county cost him Georgia’s 16 electoral votes.
Pitts criticized the ongoing scrutiny. “The president and his allies refuse to accept that they lost,” he said. “Even if he had won Georgia, he would still have lost the presidency.”
He also defended the integrity of the county’s election operations, pointing out that Fulton has conducted 17 elections since 2020 without reported issues.
The FBI has yet to publicly comment on the search or the evidence supporting it. However, the presence of high-level officials during the raid — including FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — raised eyebrows in Washington. Democratic lawmakers questioned Gabbard’s role in what was supposed to be a law enforcement operation.
In a letter to Congressional intelligence committee leaders, Gabbard clarified that former President Trump had personally requested her presence, invoking her statutory authority to oversee intelligence related to election security.
The incident follows Trump’s recent remarks on a podcast where he urged Republicans to “take over” and “nationalize” election systems — rhetoric that many see as a broader effort to influence future electoral outcomes. A White House spokesperson later clarified that Trump was referring to legislative initiatives.
A warrant cover sheet shared with the county outlined what agents were authorized to seize, including original ballots, electronic voting records, and all associated voter data.
“What they’re doing with the ballots now, we don’t know,” Pitts said. “But if the count is honest, the result will be the same.”
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