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Inform ★ Engage ★ Empower
January 2026
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Why Today’s Election Debates Feel Familiar
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January is a natural moment to pause and take stock.
Over the past month, Georgia’s election system has been in the spotlight — not because of a single controversy, but because of a series of developments that, taken together, reveal deeper patterns. High spending, persistent transparency disputes, governance challenges, and implementation delays are all part of the current picture.
This month’s newsletter reviews what happened in December — and then places those events in historical context. Understanding where today’s debates come from helps clarify why they keep resurfacing, and what it will take to move forward.
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Voting in Fulton County, 1972.
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If these issues matter to you, why not make joining the FCRP Election Integrity team one of your New Year's Resolutions! Whether that means serving as a poll watcher, helping staff the polls, or simply joining the ongoing conversation about how elections are administered in our county, we'd love to have you. Click HERE to let us know how you'd like to join in.
Paul Miller
Editor-in-Chief
Paul Miller is a Fulton County resident who has served as a poll worker, poll watcher, deputy registrar, and observer in Fulton County elections. A retired technology and business leader, he brings a practical perspective shaped by firsthand experience.
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🗳️ Fulton County GOP Election Integrity Leadership Team
Team Lead: Kevin Muldowney | BRE Liaison: Kevin Muldowney |
Poll Watchers: Steve Smith | Poll Workers: Lucia Frazier & Melissa Fioriollo |
Newsletter: Paul Miller | Design: Adrianne Miller
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High Election Spending, Low Public Confidence
Spending on elections now rivals libraries —
without the same public confidence
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The proposed FY2026 budget grows spending for Fulton County Registration & Elections to roughly $33 million — on par with what the county spends on its entire library system. Source: Fulton County FY2026 Proposed Budget
That comparison surprises many voters. Libraries are a visible public service: people know where they are, how they work, and what they provide. Elections, by contrast, are largely invisible once they move out of the precincts and into the back office — even as spending continues to grow.
Benchmarking adds important context. Fulton spends more per voter on elections than neighboring metro counties, yet continues to struggle with public confidence. Higher spending alone has not translated into greater trust.
Bottom line: In 2026, Fulton plans to spend as much on elections as it does on libraries — yet still fails to earn public confidence.
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Transparency Disputes Escalated in December
Federal officials, new litigants, and the courts all weigh in.
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December saw multiple developments that escalated Fulton County’s transparency disputes beyond the county itself.
• The U.S. Department of Justice renewed efforts to obtain Fulton election records and voter data.
• A ballot-records lawsuit expanded, with a labor union and voting-rights groups seeking to intervene — an unusual turn for a records-access case.
• A Superior Court judge allowed subpoenas for Fulton election records to proceed, affirming the State Election Board’s authority to demand access.
Bottom line: Fulton resists transparency at every step, leaving courts and regulators to force the issue.
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Oversight Board Tied in Knots
December exposed basic governance failures at the SEB
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December saw a series of governance breakdowns at Georgia’s State Election Board, which oversees county election administration.
• Investigators found that board members had not received the required training and had not been provided with the state policies they are expected to enforce.
• During a December meeting, the board’s chair was not involved in setting the agenda — an unusual lapse in basic governance practice.
• Board members acknowledged that lawmaking belongs to the General Assembly, yet voted to advance policy changes anyway.
• The month ended with the appointment of a new board member, replacing another whose departure was not clearly explained.
Bottom line: The system meant to provide oversight is struggling to govern itself.
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When Governance Can’t Keep Up
A new law exposes gaps between policy and execution.
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December highlighted the real-world consequences of governance breakdowns.
• Georgia law now requires counties to eliminate QR codes from ballots by July.
• Despite the deadline, election officials acknowledged that no implementation plan was in place as of December.
• Key questions — including equipment changes, testing, and timelines — remain unresolved.
The issue is not the size of the change. Removing QR codes is a modest adjustment. The challenge is that even modest changes become difficult when governance structures are unclear, and oversight bodies are distracted or divided.
Bottom line: When governance can’t keep up, even modest changes like removing QR codes become hard to implement.
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Why Today's Election Debates Feel Familiar
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As voting systems evolved, counting gradually moved out of public view (1952).
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What we’re seeing right now in Georgia elections isn’t random — and it isn’t new.
Across the state, today’s debates reflect a familiar pattern:
• High spending, low confidence
• Transparency forced from the outside
• Oversight bodies tied in knots
• Even modest changes becoming hard to implement
History helps explain why these tensions keep resurfacing.
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Tell us what matters most to you.
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If you have ideas, questions, or topics you think deserve attention, we want to hear from you. Election integrity is a team effort — and your perspective helps us stay focused on what matters most.
Based on the feedback we received last month, readers showed the strongest interest in understanding how ballots are counted, reinforcing the value of continuing to focus on practical, process-level election details.
You can also use this space to suggest improvements to our Election Integrity Resource Guide, the go-to starting point for anyone getting involved.
Share your thoughts anytime →
Looking for earlier editions? Browse all past FCRP Election Integrity Newsletters here.
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