FBI agents executed a search warrant at Fulton County’s elections hub near Atlanta in late January, removing about 700 boxes of ballots and other 2020 election materials. The operation — and reports that agents later spoke with President Donald Trump via a call facilitated by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard — has reignited partisan disputes over Georgia’s voting system ahead of 2026 races.
FBI agents executed a search warrant at the Fulton County Elections and Operations Hub in Union City, Georgia, on January 28, 2026, loading box trucks with hundreds of boxes of ballots and other election-related records from the 2020 presidential election, according to reporting by the Associated Press and local and national outlets.
Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts said he was kept from observing what agents were taking, telling reporters he was not allowed into the area and could only “peek in,” according to AP coverage. Fulton County Elections Board Chair Sherri Allen said county officials asked to arrange a transfer that would allow them to keep copies but were told that would not be allowed; she has also said agents removed about 700 boxes.
Federal authorities have not publicly detailed the purpose of the seizure. The search warrant and supporting materials have been described as under seal, and officials said they were given limited information about the scope and rationale for the operation.
The episode quickly became entangled in President Donald Trump’s long-running attacks on Georgia’s 2020 election — an election he lost in the state to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence accepted by courts or election audits, that fraud cost him the state.
The operation also drew scrutiny after ABC News reported that, following the search, the agents were placed on a phone call with Trump that was facilitated by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. In a letter to congressional Democrats, Gabbard later acknowledged she attended the search at Trump’s request and said she facilitated a brief call between Trump and the agents, while insisting neither she nor the president issued directives to investigators.
Georgia’s election administration has been the subject of litigation and political conflict for years. A federal lawsuit filed in 2017 by voters and the Coalition for Good Governance challenged Georgia’s touchscreen voting system, arguing that its ballot-marking devices produce paper records that include QR codes that voters cannot read to verify how their selections will be tabulated. In 2025, U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg declined to block use of the system and dismissed the case on standing grounds, while noting that the litigation helped spur legislative action.
Georgia lawmakers subsequently passed a law requiring the state to move away from computer-readable QR codes on ballots by July 1, 2026, replacing them with a method using readable text or similar human-verifiable marks. However, state officials and media reports have said lawmakers had not appropriated the full funding needed to implement the change statewide.
The FBI seizure came as Fulton County continues to battle state election officials in court over access to 2020 election records. Fulton officials have argued that the requested materials were already the subject of ongoing litigation and could have been produced through the court process.
Election-security advocates say the revived focus on Fulton County risks amplifying doubt in the system. In interviews reported by Atlanta-area media, Marilyn Marks, executive director of the Coalition for Good Governance, has warned that changes to election administration and enforcement mechanisms could be used quickly and with limited due process.
The raid has landed amid a high-stakes political calendar in Georgia, where 2026 contests — including statewide offices and federal races — are expected to draw intense national attention. It also follows renewed debate over federal versus state authority in election administration after Trump publicly said on a podcast that Republicans “ought to nationalize the voting,” according to reporting by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Democratic lawmakers, including Sen. Raphael Warnock, have demanded explanations from the Justice Department, raising concerns about voter rights and the handling of sensitive election records. The Department of Justice and FBI have not provided a detailed public accounting of the operation’s rationale.
