By Michael Phillips | FLBayNews
A viral claim circulating online says Georgia “admitted” that hundreds of thousands of illegal votes were counted in Fulton County during the 2020 election. Like many election stories that resurface years later, this one mixes a real problem with exaggerated conclusions. For voters who care about both election integrity and factual accuracy, it’s worth slowing down and getting this right.
Here’s what actually happened—and what didn’t.
What Was Admitted
On December 9, 2025, the Georgia State Election Board held a hearing on a long-running complaint filed in 2022 by election integrity activist David Cross, affiliated with VoterGA.
The complaint centered on early in-person voting in Fulton County during the 2020 presidential election. Georgia rules require poll managers and two witnesses to sign “closing tapes” from each voting machine at the end of each day, certifying the totals.
Those signatures were missing on 134 tabulator tapes—covering roughly 315,000 early in-person votes.
Fulton County’s attorney, Ann Brumbaugh, did not dispute the facts. She acknowledged the omission plainly: the tapes were not signed, and that violated state rules.
That matters. Chain-of-custody rules exist for a reason. When they aren’t followed, public confidence suffers—even if nothing else goes wrong.
What the Violation Does Not Prove
The unsigned tapes have been portrayed online as proof that the votes were “illegal,” “uncertified,” or fraudulent. That leap is not supported by the record.
Those votes were:
- Cast in person by voters who showed photo ID
- Counted by machines whose totals were preserved electronically
- Confirmed through four separate verifications:
- The initial machine count
- A statewide risk-limiting audit
- A full hand recount requested by Donald Trump
- A second machine recount
All four matched closely. No evidence emerged that votes were fabricated, altered, or miscounted in a way that could change the outcome.
Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger summarized the state’s position succinctly: voters were verified, ballots were lawfully cast, and a clerical failure at day’s end does not erase valid votes.
Courts have repeatedly ruled that counties must certify election results even when administrative violations occur—absent proof that the votes themselves are invalid.
What the State Election Board Actually Did
The SEB did not decertify the election. It did not invalidate votes. It did not declare the result illegitimate.
Instead, the board voted 3–0 to refer Fulton County to the Georgia Attorney General for possible sanctions, including proposed fines of up to $5,000 per unsigned tape—potentially more than $670,000.
That’s not a cover-up. That’s accountability.
Why This Keeps Going Viral
Georgia was decided by just 11,779 votes in 2020, and Fulton County is heavily Democratic. The headline number—“315,000 votes”—is emotionally powerful and easily misused.
Some right-leaning outlets frame the admission as retroactive proof of a stolen election. Many mainstream outlets swing the other direction, dismissing the issue as trivial. Neither approach helps restore trust.
A more responsible center-right position recognizes two truths at once:
- This was a serious administrative failure.
Missing signatures on this scale are unacceptable. They weaken transparency and should never happen again. - There is no evidence the failure changed the result.
Extensive audits, recounts, and court reviews confirmed the totals.
The Real Lesson Going Forward
The Fulton County case doesn’t vindicate claims of mass fraud—but it does vindicate concerns about sloppy election administration in 2020, especially under COVID-era rule changes.
Georgia has since tightened procedures, banned private “Zuckbucks” election funding, expanded training, and clarified chain-of-custody rules. That’s the right direction.
Election integrity isn’t about declaring victory years later. It’s about ensuring voters—left, right, and center—can trust the next election without needing viral threads to explain it.
Accountability matters. Facts matter more.
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