(The Epoch Times)—A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the government can retain thousands of 2020 election ballots from Georgia’s Fulton County that the FBI seized from a warehouse near Atlanta.
In his decision, U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee rejected arguments from county attorneys, who said the ballots and related election materials—including any digital copies made by the Justice Department—should be returned.
The FBI investigation focused on alleged irregularities involving Fulton County’s handling of ballots and election records from the 2020 presidential election. The FBI removed 656 boxes containing the original copies of 2020 election-related materials from the Fulton County Clerk’s Office.
According to the search warrant affidavit cited in the ruling, federal investigators examined claims involving missing ballot images, duplicate ballots, unsigned tabulator tapes, and “pristine” absentee ballots that appeared unfolded and had “no indications” that they had been “folded and mailed as a typical absentee ballot.”
The affidavit stated that the FBI was investigating whether any of those issues resulted from intentional actions that could violate federal election laws.
One focus was whether election records that were required to be preserved after the election had been improperly altered, lost, or destroyed.
Investigators also examined allegations that ballots may have been improperly duplicated or tabulated.
The ruling noted that some witnesses claimed ballot images were missing or modified, while others alleged problems with tabulator tapes and ballot handling procedures during the recount and audit process.
However, the court noted that multiple state reviews and reports found no evidence of fraud, dishonesty, or intentional misconduct by Fulton County election officials. Instead, any mistakes were attributed to human error, administrative mistakes, and poor organization.
The Georgia State Election Board hired Seven Hills Strategies to act as an independent, nonpartisan monitor of Fulton County’s handling of the 2020 election. In its review, the firm identified multiple problems with the election process, including what it described as an “extremely sloppy” absentee ballot counting operation. Despite those issues, the report concluded there were no signs of “dishonesty, fraud, or intentional malfeasance” by Fulton County election officials.
There were three separate ballot counts conducted after the 2020 election. The first, referred to as the “original count,” was done using tabulator machines. Counting began after polls closed on Election Day and was completed the following day. A second count, known as the Risk Limiting Audit, involved a hand count of ballots. In early December 2020, officials conducted a third count—the recount—using tabulator machines, according to the ruling.
The ruling notes the FBI investigation began earlier this year after a Jan. 5 referral from Kurt Olsen, the presidentially-appointed director of Election Security and Integrity.
Upon news of the appointment in October 2025, several Democratic senators raised concerns with the White House about Olsen’s role in investigating the 2020 election, accusing him of promoting election conspiracy theories and warning that his appointment could undermine confidence in future elections.
