Federal investigators carried out a court-authorized search at the Fulton County, Georgia, elections operations center, removing hundreds of boxes of ballots and records tied to the 2020 presidential election, according to county and state officials briefed on the operation.
Authorities said the action was taken under a federal warrant citing possible violations of election law, including rules governing the handling, preservation and security of ballots and other voting materials. The warrant reportedly references statutes that criminalize voter intimidation, the submission of fraudulent ballots and the failure to properly retain federal election records for the period required by law.
The search was conducted at the county’s election hub, but legal custody of the ballots rests with the clerk of the Fulton County Superior Court under Georgia law. Local officials said federal agents initially appeared at the elections office before securing a second warrant directed to the clerk’s office, allowing them to access materials held under seal. Both sides documented the transfer of boxes to preserve chain-of-custody.
State lawmakers who were present said as many as 700 boxes of ballots were loaded into trucks by an FBI evidence response team. Video shared by local officials showed agents inventorying the materials and photographing the process.
Senior members of the current administration, including the FBI’s deputy director and the director of national intelligence, were seen near the site. A planned briefing by federal officials was later called off, and agencies declined to provide details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
The move comes amid renewed federal scrutiny of the 2020 election, which former President Donald Trump continues to claim was improperly conducted in several battleground states, including Georgia. Fulton County, home to Atlanta and a Democratic stronghold, was a focal point of those allegations after Joe Biden won the state by a margin of fewer than 12,000 votes.
Multiple audits, a full hand recount and court challenges following the election upheld the results, and then–Attorney General William Barr said the Justice Department found no evidence of fraud on a scale that could have altered the outcome. Still, Trump has renewed calls for investigations since returning to office, arguing that unresolved questions remain.
The current probe also follows a civil lawsuit filed by the Justice Department last month seeking a court order to compel the Fulton County clerk to release 2020 ballots and related records. Federal lawyers said the materials were needed to assess compliance with federal record-retention laws, while county officials argued the request lacked sufficient legal basis and that the records could only be unsealed by a state judge. That case is still pending.
Democratic officials in Georgia and Washington criticized the search, warning it could undermine confidence in the electoral process. Some questioned why senior intelligence officials were present at what appears to be a domestic law-enforcement matter, while others said reopening investigations tied to long-disputed fraud claims risks politicizing election administration.
Republican allies of the president, by contrast, said the operation shows federal authorities are taking election integrity concerns seriously and pursuing access to original records rather than relying solely on prior audits.
The FBI has confirmed only that it conducted a “court-authorized law enforcement action” and said it cannot discuss the evidence or targets involved. No criminal charges have been announced, and it remains unclear whether the inquiry will focus on county officials, ballot handling procedures, or broader allegations tied to the 2020 vote.
