Georgia Court Rules on Election Board Seats

0:00Here's more Canada news from March 20th, a Georgia appeals court ruled Friday that Fulton County Commissioners don't have to seat two Republican nominees on the county election board. The state's largest county, which leans heavily Democratic, can reject names from the local Republican Party and request new ones instead. This decision ends a state contempt fine of $10,000 a day. Last year, the Democratic majority on the commission turned down Julie Adams and Jason Frazier, citing concerns over their past actions related to election challenges. The Republican Party sued and a lower court ordered their approval, but the appeals court unanimously sided with the county saying commissioners have discretion in these picks. Republicans worry the ruling hands too much control to Democrats, potentially letting them shape the entire five-person board. Democrats celebrated it as a victory for secure elections, noting it lifts threats of fines and jail time that it hung over officials. One Republican seat on the board stays vacant,

1:00while Adams holds her spot temporarily past her June term end. The local GOP hasn't said yet if they'll appeal to the state Supreme Court, where justices might decline to hear it. This could ripple across Georgia, where most counties follow the same process for picking election board members from party lists. It might ease tensions in Democratic areas over GOP picks, but raise questions for Democrats in Republican strongholds.