Republicans plan to install election deniers in major swing state's two bluest counties

Republicans in Georgia are taking steps to position election deniers in key oversight roles within Fulton and DeKalb counties, two of the state’s most Democratic strongholds, according to a Democracy Docket report published Tuesday.

In DeKalb County, one GOP nominee for the local Board of Registration and Elections has an extensive history of lodging mass voter challenges, raising alarms among voting rights advocates. The second nominee was rejected by an administrative judge due to prior public statements about the board and a lawsuit he filed against it.

The Democracy Docket report noted: "Republicans are already laying the foundation to undermine a fair 2026 midterm election in Georgia, where they’re working to install voting skeptics on local election boards."

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These efforts in Fulton and DeKalb — both majority-Black counties with large Democratic voter populations — raise concerns that such placements could undermine confidence in the electoral process and potentially suppress Democratic votes in the critical 2026 midterms.

In DeKalb County, the local GOP put forward Bill Henderson and Gail Lee for seats on the Board of Registration and Elections. Henderson’s bid was outright rejected by Chief Administrative Judge Shondeana Morris, citing his ongoing lawsuit against the board and prior public statements that questioned its integrity, per the report.

Meanwhile, Lee drew scrutiny from advocates after she challenged over 200 voter registrations shortly before the 2024 election, claiming registrants were registered in multiple states.

DeKalb’s board narrowly refused to act on her challenge given its proximity to the election.

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In Fulton County, Republicans have gone to court after two of their nominees were rejected by county officials. One of those nominees, already on the board, refused to certify previous election results. The other filed a lawsuit against the board after unsuccessfully challenging voter eligibility.

“Those who repeatedly push lies about voting and support dangerous attempts to overturn the results should have no say over our elections,” All Voting is Local Action Georgia state director Kristin Nabers said in a statement about Lee, according to the report.