FBI Searches Georgia Election Hub, Escalating Scrutiny of 2020 Results
Fulton County, Georgia, officials expressed concern Wednesday, January 28, 2026, after the FBI seized original 2020 voting records during a search of the county’s Elections Hub and Operations Center. The action, authorized by a court warrant, is the latest development in ongoing scrutiny of the 2020 presidential election, fueled by unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
The FBI was conducting court-authorized activity at the facility, according to a statement released Wednesday. The search warrant specifically authorized agents to search for “All physical ballots from the 2020 General Election,” as well as tabulator tapes from voting machines and 2020 voter rolls, among other documents.
The development comes as former President Donald Trump continues to allege widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election, particularly in Georgia, as a contributing factor to his loss to Joe Biden. Georgia officials previously audited and certified the election results following the election.
Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington, a Democrat, voiced concerns about the handling of the seized materials. “These are the original voting records, original absentee ballots,” Arrington told ABC News. “Once that stuff leaves our custody, where is the chain of custody? How can we know if we’re going to get everything back? How can we know if they might do something mischievous?”
Democratic County Commissioner Mo Ivory added to those concerns, noting the manner in which the ballots were stored. “The boxes of ballots, which were previously archived and sealed, are stored on pallets — and that the FBI was ‘removing the whole pallets.’ So how can we inventory what they’re taking?”
The search in Fulton County is part of a broader pattern of activity, according to voting rights correspondent Ari Berman of Mother Jones magazine. Berman described the events as a “dramatic escalation” of the Trump administration’s tactics to interfere in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. He stated that the seizure of 700 boxes of ballots was “incredibly disturbing” and set a “chilling precedent” for potential future interference.
Berman also highlighted a parallel situation in Minnesota, where the Justice Department is seeking voter rolls from 24 states, aiming to create a national database of registered voters. He warned of potential privacy and security risks associated with such a database, as well as the possibility of its misuse to challenge election outcomes based on false claims of voter fraud.
“What we have is now a multifront, concerted effort to try to interfere in the midterm elections,” Berman said, adding that the attempt to obtain voter rolls is part of a larger scheme to “rig the midterms.”
The presence of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard at the Georgia election center during the FBI search has also raised questions. Berman noted that Gabbard is legally prohibited from participating in domestic law enforcement activity, calling her presence a “giant red flag.”
The FBI has declined to provide further comment beyond confirming the court-authorized activity. The ultimate purpose of the investigation and the fate of the seized ballots and data remain unclear. Experts, including UCLA law professor Rick Hasen, have described the search as an unprecedented event in American election history and a dangerous escalation of efforts to undermine public trust in the electoral process. Hasen stated, “The idea that federal officials would seize ballots in an attempt to prove fraud is especially dangerous in this context when we know there is no fraud because the Georgia 2020 election has been extensively counted, recounted and investigated.”
The events in Georgia and Minnesota underscore a growing concern about the potential for interference in future elections, as the Trump administration continues to promote unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and seeks to challenge election results.
