Georgia 2020 Ballot Numbers Don’t Add Up After FBI Seizure: Officials

Concerns over election transparency in Fulton County, Georgia, are intensifying after a glaring discrepancy emerged between the number of ballot-related materials officials claimed were in storage and what federal agents actually seized during a recent FBI raid.

County officials had previously argued that complying with a subpoena from the Georgia State Election Board would be overly burdensome, citing “approximately 750 boxes” of election materials tied to the 2020 cycle. But when the FBI executed a search warrant on January 28, agents reportedly removed just 656 boxes—raising serious questions about what may be missing.

“That’s almost 100 boxes of evidence,” said Janice Johnston, vice chair of the Georgia State Election Board, in comments to The Daily Signal. She noted that even earlier estimates from within the county had only suggested “over 700 boxes” were being stored at the elections hub.

“Even 50 [extra] boxes would be a lot of evidence,” Johnston emphasized, pointing to what critics see as a troubling inconsistency that cannot be dismissed as a simple estimation error.

The discrepancy has now prompted the State Election Board to demand further answers. Officials have submitted a records request to the Fulton County Board of Elections seeking a detailed accounting of all materials moved in or out of storage in the weeks leading up to the federal raid.

“Fulton County is effectively the person of interest in this case,” Johnston said. “We are not assured that everything was available.”

According to court documents cited by Georgia Public Broadcasting, the FBI seized a wide range of election-related materials, including ballots, tabulator tapes, and recount images. Yet perhaps most alarming is the revelation that roughly 370,000 ballot images remain unaccounted for.

“Someone is LYING to the FBI and COURTS!! Ballot Images WERE required to be kept in the 2020 ELECTION in Georgia!!” Johnston wrote in a post on X, echoing concerns shared by many who have long questioned the handling of election records in the county.

Instead of cooperating fully, Fulton County officials have taken the extraordinary step of suing the Department of Justice in an attempt to reclaim the seized materials—and to block federal investigators from reviewing them. Johnston criticized the legal maneuver as excessive and suspicious.

“They have been fighting the State Elections Board over the same documents,” she said.

In response to inquiries, a Fulton County spokesperson insisted that officials complied fully with the warrant.

“Fulton County complied fully with the search warrant executed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 28, 2026, seeking records related to the 2020 Election,” spokeswoman Jessica Corbitt said in a statement. “Agents spent more than 8 hours at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operations Center and had the opportunity to review all files related to the 2020 Election.”

“Agents were made aware of all 2020 documents and selected the files that they removed from the premises. This is now a matter that is being handled by the courts,” she added.

Still, the county’s own legal filings appear to confirm the lower figure. In a complaint filed on February 5, officials acknowledged that federal agents seized “approximately 656 boxes” of materials from the Clerk of Superior Court.

That number stands in stark contrast to a November 2024 court petition, in which county attorney Michael Tyler argued that responding to a subpoena would require reviewing materials stored in “approximately 750 boxes”—a task he claimed would necessitate hiring 20 full-time staffers.

For critics, the contradiction is difficult to ignore. At a minimum, it raises questions about record-keeping practices in one of the nation’s most closely scrutinized election jurisdictions. At worst, it fuels concerns that key evidence tied to the 2020 election may be missing or mishandled.

As investigations continue, the situation in Fulton County is shaping up to be a major flashpoint in the ongoing debate over election integrity, transparency, and accountability—issues that remain central to voters as President Donald J. Trump continues his second term in office.