Fulton County Confirms 315,000 Unsigned 2020 Votes

Fulton County officials have acknowledged that roughly 315,000 early ballots cast in 2020 were certified without the legally required poll-worker signatures on tabulator tapes, a core part of Georgia’s election verification process.

Georgia law requires that a poll manager and two witnesses sign tabulator tapes—the printed “receipts” from voting machines that ensure the number of voters matches the number of votes—at the start and end of each day’s voting.

“We do not dispute that the tapes were not signed. It was a violation of the rule,” said Fulton County attorney Ann Brumbaugh at the December 9 hearing. “It’s a violation of a rule, they should have done it.”

The unsigned tapes stem from more than 130 machines used during early voting in 2020, which together account for those 315,000 ballots—almost every early ballot cast in the County.

Republican member of the Georgia State Election Board Janelle King described the lapse as more than a clerical error, saying, “At best, this is sloppy and lazy. At worst, it could be egregious and it could have affected an election.”

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger responded to the County’s admission with a familiar refrain, insisting that the mismatch in signatures does not change the certified outcome. “A clerical error at the end of the day does not erase valid, legal votes. Georgia has the most secure elections in the country and all voters were verified with photo ID and lawfully cast their ballots,” Raffensperger posted.

Fulton County leaders said that procedural reforms and enhanced poll-worker training are now in place to prevent a repeat.

The State Election Board unanimously voted to refer enforcement to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, which could fine the County up to $5,000 per unsigned tape—a potential penalty of more than $700,000.

In addition to the Board action, a Georgia judge ordered Fulton County to turn over 2020 election documents and scanned ballot images to the State, a step the County had resisted for more than a year.

The revelations have drawn attention amid ongoing disputes over election integrity from 2020 through today. Critics argue the unsigned tapes highlight vulnerabilities in election procedures and fuel long-running calls for stricter controls and oversight. Supporters of the County’s handling emphasize multiple audits and recounts in Georgia affirmed the original vote totals before certification.

While the issue does not legally overturn the 2020 results, the discussion over transparency and election process integrity continues, particularly as Georgia remains a high-profile battleground in national politics.

With the margin of victory for Joe Biden being only ~11,000 votes in Georgia, the sheer number of improperly certified votes in Fulton County becomes even more important. With numerous irregularities being documented in the County in 2020–not least of which were the suitcases of ballots improperly counted—this latest admission has once again raised questions about the election being stolen. That the suitcase video case was “closed”—by some of the very same people who continue to insist the election was “secure”—this rings rather hollow.

It is also notable that the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has sued Fulton County for “all used and void ballots, stubs of all ballots, signature envelopes, and corresponding envelope digital files from the 2020 General Election in Fulton County,” following a letter of request for these records that was denied. This is only one of a number of cases being pursued by the DOJ related to multiple allegations of fraud in the 2020 election that could potentially have affected the outcome.

Here is one final question no one seems to be asking, that ALPolitics.com would like an answer to:

If the 2020 election is proved to have been stolen, then what?