Access Denied in the Bunker
Georgia’s State Election Board says it was kept out of the state’s Election Night Reporting Room during this week’s primary, and Republicans are not taking it quietly. GOP Chairman Josh McKoon called the move outrageous and said it was an attack on transparency and election integrity. The room, nicknamed “the Bunker,” is the underground facility where results from all 159 counties are gathered and prepared for release. If that sounds like exactly the kind of place where oversight should happen, congratulations, you have a working set of eyes.
Board Members Push Back
Salleigh Grubbs, who serves on the board and is also Georgia GOP first vice chair, said she was shocked to learn the final tabulation was being done behind closed doors without independent observation. She argued that if there is nothing to hide, then nothing should be hidden. Holly Kesler, a longtime elections integrity advocate, backed that up by pointing to Georgia law she says gives poll watchers access to tabulation centers and gives the board a duty to ensure elections are uniform, lawful, and transparent. That is not exactly a wild ask in a state where trust in elections has been battered for years.
Secretary of State Office Fires Back
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger’s communications team pushed back hard, saying the board members should focus on where ballots are actually counted in large county tabulation centers instead of the reporting room. They also said the secretary of state had nothing to do with the decision, while tossing in a little bureaucratic side-eye for good measure. The office suggested seeking a formal opinion from the attorney general, but no one has produced a recent public opinion on the matter. So far, the response sounds a lot like government’s favorite sport: passing the hot potato until somebody else is holding it.
https://x.com/GaRepublicans/status/2054229965105676632?s=20
https://x.com/1stVCGAGOP/status/2054235674799227065
https://x.com/HollyKesler/status/2054260805873414381?s=20
Selective Access Raises More Questions
The larger issue is not just whether the board got in this time, but why access appears to be selective. At an April 15 board meeting, Chairman John Fervier said on the record that he had previously been invited into the Bunker by the secretary of state’s office, while the rest of the board was not invited. Grubbs later said Fervier told members in an email that he had asked for access for the full board for the primary election, but the request was denied. That is the kind of mixed message that makes voters wonder whether transparency is a policy or just a slogan used when convenient.
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