On Wednesday, Democrats on the Fulton County Board of Commissioners once again refused to seat the two duly nominated Republican members of the county’s Board of Elections — despite repeated court orders and a threat of a $10,000 per-day fine. Yet the same media outlets that maligned Republicans as elections deniers for raising questions about election certification are now are sanitizing Democrats’ defiance as nothing more than a “delay.”
Julie Adams and Jason Frazier are the two Republican appointees for the Board of Elections. The Board of Commissioners must approve the election board members, who are appointed by their respective political parties. Adams is an incumbent member and is currently still on the board, but Frazier, who was recently nominated by the Republican Party of Fulton County, has not yet been confirmed. Frazier is replacing outgoing Republican member Mike Hegan, who resigned, effective at the end of August. Without Frazier’s confirmation, Hagen’s seat will remain empty.
Democrats’ opposition to Adams centers on, in part, her belief that voting is discretionary and that she shouldn’t be forced to vote in a particular way. During the March 2024 presidential preference primary, Adams chose not to certify the results because she alleged she was “denied … access to essential election materials and processes,” and therefore could not, in good faith, vote to certify the election results.
The Democratic Party of Georgia then sent a letter to the Fulton County Board of Elections warning they would bring criminal charges for any member who did not rubber-stamp the results of the March presidential preference primary.
Adams sued for clarification as to whether voting to certify the March presidential primary was discretionary. Ultimately a judge ruled “no election superintendent (or member of a board of elections and registration) may refuse to certify or abstain from certifying election results under any circumstance” even if the results are “non-sensical.”
Recently, Judge David Emerson ordered Democrats to certify both appointments, even issuing a $10,000 fine for each day Democrats refuse (though that fine has been put on hold pending an appeal process). Notably, the Democracy Defense Project – Georgia, a bipartisan group of former elected officials, released a statement Thursday begging Georgia Democrats to “comply” with Emerson’s order and stop putting themselves “above the law.”
“Defying a court order is reckless and dangerous,” the group said in a statement. “The Commission must stop playing games and do the right — and lawful — thing.”
Despite even Democrats calling out the Fulton Democrats, the propaganda press is working to sanitize their refusal. See, when Republicans hesitate on certification it’s smeared as possibly leading to election denialism or Jan. 6. But when Democrats openly defy multiple court orders and refuse to certify, it’s merely a “delay.”
Take Axios’ Kristal Dixon, who wrote “Fulton County delays appointing GOP nominees to elections board.”
Rather than highlight Democrats’ defiance of a court order, Dixon framed her piece as if the Democrats are prudently waiting for the appeals process: “Fulton County commissioners will let the appeals process play out before considering whether to approve or reject two controversial Republican nominees to its Board of Registration and Elections.”
But why is Adams “controversial” — a declaration made by Dixon? Because she didn’t want to be forced to rubber-stamp election results — the same thing Democrats are saying for themselves now.
Yet, Dixon gives grace to Democrats who refuse to do the same thing.
Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., who opposed the nominations, said the Republicans “want to blame Fulton County for their failed nominees.”
“This is an attack, again, on 222 years of jurisprudence,” said Arrington, later adding “no one on God’s green earth can tell me how to vote.”
Dixon also regurgitated the Democratic claim that Adams and Frazier “are accused by opponents of being election conspiracy theorists and deniers” as a way to delegitimize the two nominees.
“Adams, a current board member, refused to certify the 2024 primary election results until she received detailed voter information. A Fulton Superior Court judge rejected her request.”
But this is the same outlet that ran a piece from Sareen Habeshian about a judge who ruled Adams must certify “nonsensical” election results that framed that news as “Georgia counties must certify election results, judge rules.” Habeshian referred to those who may want to “delay the certification” of the then-upcoming presidential results as “election deniers.”
You see, when Adams questioned her role in certification, the language used by Axios was alarmist. But when Democrats refuse to certify, it’s merely a “delay” in the process!
The Associated Press’ Kate Brumback has taken the same approach. In her coverage of the same news regarding Democrats tabling of the vote, she wrote: “Elected leaders in Georgia’s Fulton County put off vote on Republican election board nominees.”
Brumback highlighted Adams’ certification debacle while also noting that “Frazier has formally challenged the eligibility of thousands of Fulton County voters” as though those facts justify Democrats’ lawlessness.
Compare that coverage to Nicholas Riccardi and Joey Cappelletti’s June 2024 coverage — in regards to Adams’ initial suit — “A group run by members of former President Donald Trump’s administration last month sued so a Republican member of the local elections board could refuse to certify the results of the primary election.”
Pointing out Trump-aligned groups’ involvement is meant to cast a shadow of doubt on the legitimacy of Adams’ lawsuit. This is made clear by Riccardi and Cappelletti’s line: “Trump and his allies have tried to use the tactic to stop election results from being made final if they lose.” The duo then went on to incorporate Jan. 6.
They closed by warning that even if lawsuits like Adams’ fails, officials worry they could still “become a vehicle for promoting bogus election claims.”
What’s happening in Fulton County proves the propaganda press is around to sanitize the actions of Democrats.