The apparent break-in at the Fulton County warehouse where officials were storing ballots for a pending audit has prompted Georgia gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones to demand an official investigation.
“This report, if true, is deeply concerning and needs to be independently investigated at once. I am calling on Governor Kemp to immediately order an investigation into this matter by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation,” Jones told supporters Monday in an emailed statement.
“These ballots must be protected at all times. If the building they are housed in was left unsecured, we need to know how and why it happened! The integrity of our elections is non-negotiable. This situation further underscores the necessity of a forensic audit in our state.”
Members of Kemp’s staff did not return The Georgia Star News’ request for comment before Tuesday’s stated deadline.
GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said in an email Tuesday that no one has requested that her agency investigate.
According to reports, security guards hired by Fulton County left the facility Saturday. About 20 minutes later, the facility’s alarm was set off. A security detail hired by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Bob Cheeley, relayed to reporters that the facility door was wide open.
The audit concerns more than 145,000 ballots from the presidential election. U.S. President Joe Biden won Georgia with just over 12,600 votes.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Captain Bruce Ferguson confirmed in an email that two Fulton County deputies were assigned to the warehouse, and they had left briefly before the alarm went off. According to the email, the alarm went off a week earlier as well – though security reportedly didn’t find anything amiss at the time.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a press release about the apparent break-in. Trump inferred that the ballots within the facility would help reveal massive election fraud from the 2020 election.
Jones, a Democrat turned Republican, announced his candidacy for governor in April. At the time, Jones said Kemp’s job performance, especially when it comes to ensuring “a free, fair, and transparent election,” has fallen short.
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
