The U.S. Department of Justice has reportedly opened an inquiry into long-debunked allegations of voter fraud in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election, according to claims from activists within the state’s election denial movement. This development signals a deepening alliance between federal authorities and groups that continue to challenge the legitimacy of the last presidential race.
The claims center on a presentation made last month to Georgia state legislators by Mark Davis, a political consultant known for filing voter registration challenges. Davis testified that he had been contacted by a Justice Department investigator regarding his allegations of “Felony Residency Violations,” which suggest hundreds of thousands of Georgia voters may have cast ballots illegally in recent elections. Davis stated this federal interest elevates the importance of his complaints, which he has formally lodged with state officials.
This reported investigation appears connected to a broader effort. In August, a letter surfaced, purportedly from a recently appointed Justice Department attorney, Ed Martin, demanding “immediate access” to approximately 148,000 absentee ballots and envelopes from Fulton County. The letter, which has circulated among far-right accounts, stated the review was “imperative” for a DoJ investigation into election integrity. While the authenticity of the document could not be independently verified, its contents have been amplified by prominent figures who promote election conspiracy theories.
Voting rights advocates have condemned the Justice Department’s alleged actions. A representative for Fair Fight, a Georgia-based advocacy organization, accused the agency of “actively working with the same crackpots who tried to overturn his 2020 loss,” suggesting investigators are leveraging discredited activists to advance false narratives.
The department’s Civil Rights Division has taken an aggressive stance nationwide, suing at least seven states to obtain complete, unredacted voter registration lists. This push, framed as enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act, has raised alarms that it could facilitate the wrongful purging of eligible voters. In Texas, a similar initiative using federal databases to flag potential non-citizens has already been criticized after local officials found a significant portion of those identified had proven their citizenship.
In Georgia, the state’s Election Board, controlled by Republicans, has mirrored the Justice Department’s focus. Last month, the board voted to subpoena the same batch of Fulton County ballots referenced in Martin’s letter. A Republican board member, Janelle King, publicly stated the board is coordinating with the Justice Department, telling a gathering, “We sent a letter to the DoJ asking for help, and they are helping.”
The focus on these ballots persists at the local level as well. During a recent Fulton County board meeting, a member aligned with election denial groups pressed for access to the 2020 ballots, stating for the record that she did not wish to be seen as obstructing state or federal inquiries.
These coordinated actions mark a significant shift, transforming a federal office historically dedicated to protecting voting rights into an apparatus seemingly focused on investigating baseless fraud claims. This alignment between state and federal actors suggests a sustained campaign to scrutinize the 2020 election outcomes, with implications for voter access and confidence ahead of future elections.