{"id":53,"date":"2026-05-21T04:12:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53"},"modified":"2026-05-21T04:12:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:12:47","slug":"georgia-election-board-barred-from-vote-observation-room-echoing-2020-obstruction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53","title":{"rendered":"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Members of the Georgia State Election Board (SEB) have been blocked from observing the compilation of vote totals in the state\u2019s primary election this week, according to state GOP Chairman Josh McKoon, who demanded Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reverse the decision. McKoon called the denial of access to the Election Night Reporting Room \u201coutrageous\u201d and \u201can unacceptable assault on transparency and a direct threat to the integrity of Georgia\u2019s elections.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Media Livid Over Trump Acknowledging Christian Founding<\/a><\/p>\n

The secretary of state\u2019s secure, centralized Election Night Reporting Room \u2014 known in Georgia election circles as \u201cthe Bunker\u201d \u2014 is an underground facility on the east side of Atlanta where votes from Georgia\u2019s 159 counties are aggregated in real time and statewide results are prepared for public release. On election nights, a small team of SOS staff monitors the process in a conference-room-style setting as final numbers roll in.<\/p>\n

A sitting member of the SEB quickly amplified McKoon\u2019s demand. Salleigh Grubbs, who also serves as the Georgia Republican Party\u2019s first vice chair, posted that she was \u201cshocked to be told that the final tabulation of Georgia votes \u2026 is done behind closed doors, without transparency, independent observation and accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s nothing to hide \u2014 you hide nothing,\u201d Grubbs wrote, urging Georgians to contact the secretary of state\u2019s office and demand observer access.<\/p>\n

Holly Kesler, a prominent grassroots elections integrity advocate, followed with a detailed legal and practical call to action. She cited two specific statutes: O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-408, which guarantees poll watchers access to polling places and tabulation centers, and O.C.G.A. \u00a7 21-2-30, which charges the SEB with \u201censuring uniform, lawful, and transparent\u201d elections. She encouraged supporters to call the secretary of state\u2019s office at 404-656-2881 or email immediately to insist on full observer access to the Bunker \u201cso every Georgian can have full confidence in the results.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to a request for comment, Raffensperger\u2019s Communications Director Robert Sinners suggested reaching out to the attorney general\u2019s office for a \u201cformal opinion\u201d with \u201cwritten guidance.\u201d He stated that \u201cSecretary Raffensperger had nothing to do with this decision, like most things he seems to get blamed for by simply having a backbone and standing up to nonsense.\u201d Sinners continued: \u201cNo tabulation happens at the location being mentioned. Not one ballot, not one count. If these SEB members were serious about their concerns, they would spend their time where the ballots are \u2014 at the tabulation centers in large counties on Election Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The jab reflects the ongoing animosity and dysfunction between the board and the secretary of state\u2019s office, which sometimes boils over into public comment.<\/p>\n

An inquiry sent to Kara Murray, communications director for Attorney General Chris Carr \u2014 who is one of Raffensperger\u2019s opponents in the Republican gubernatorial primary \u2014 received no response. Furthermore, a search online yielded no recent AG opinion on the subject. When Sinners was asked to provide a copy of the opinion the secretary of state is relying on, he said he didn\u2019t have it and suggested contacting the board.<\/p>\n

Read more Here\u2019s Why Your Hospital Bills Are So Big \u2014 And Why Congress Doesn\u2019t Care<\/a><\/p>\n

When questioned about the matter, James Mills, the executive director of the SEB, explained that the board did ask some pointed questions of the AG\u2019s office and received legal advice in return. However, that legal advice was private and subject to attorney-client privilege, rather than an official legal opinion of the attorney general. While the exact details of the counsel remain confidential, Grubbs has since communicated publicly her impression that access effectively remains at the discretion of the secretary of state, \u201cdespite the official code of Georgia indicating otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n

Transparency Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While the secretary of state\u2019s office maintains that the facility is not a site for public oversight, video from the April 15, 2026, SEB meeting reveals that officials have granted selective access to it. The recording shows Chairman John Fervier stating, on the record, that he has previously been invited into the Bunker by the secretary of state\u2019s office and that he accepted the invitation. The rest of the board was not invited.<\/p>\n

When contacted for comment, Grubbs said that in a recent email Fervier informed board members that he had specifically inquired about securing access for them during the upcoming primary election, but the request was denied by the secretary of state\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

Even before this latest issue surfaced, election integrity activists were quick to point out that although votes are certified at the county level, Secretary Raffensperger is still overseeing the election he is a candidate in. And this latest denial of access fits a troubling pattern of transparency concerns in Georgia elections.<\/p>\n

In 2020, Republican observers were sent away from ballot counting at State Farm Arena in Fulton County late on election night after a reported pipe burst, during which time processing continued without independent oversight. More recently, Julie Adams, a Republican member of Fulton County\u2019s Board of Registration and Elections, sued the county for wrongfully withholding critical election records. The secretary of state\u2019s office has also faced criticism for delayed responses to dozens of open records requests on election operations and for resisting full disclosure of voter registration data to the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n

The coordinated push from party leadership, a board member, and key advocates underscores a broader concern: that independent oversight of the centralized vote compilation and reporting process remains limited, even as voters head to the polls.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Emergency In The Church\u2019: Catholic Leaders Decry Vatican Report That Pushes Homosexuality<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Members of the Georgia State Election Board have been blocked from the Election Night Reporting Room in the state’s primary election.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[202,261,72,262,263,264,265,266,267,268,269,270],"class_list":["post-53","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-elections","tag-2020-election","tag-brad-raffensperger","tag-election-integrity","tag-fulton-county","tag-georgia","tag-georgia-republican-party","tag-georgia-state-election-board","tag-josh-mckoon","tag-poll-watchers","tag-secretary-of-state-brad-raffensperger","tag-state-election-board","tag-tabulation"],"yoast_head":"\nGeorgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction - Property Transition Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction - Property Transition Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Members of the Georgia State Election Board have been blocked from the Election Night Reporting Room in the state's primary election.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Property Transition Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T04:12:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\"},\"headline\":\"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T04:12:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53\"},\"wordCount\":949,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"2020 Election\",\"Brad Raffensperger\",\"election integrity\",\"Fulton County\",\"Georgia\",\"Georgia Republican Party\",\"Georgia state election board\",\"Josh McKoon\",\"poll watchers\",\"Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger\",\"state election board\",\"tabulation\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Elections\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53\",\"name\":\"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction - Property Transition Media\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-21T04:12:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?p=53#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Property Transition Media\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/propertytransitionmedia.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction - Property Transition Media","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction - Property Transition Media","og_description":"Members of the Georgia State Election Board have been blocked from the Election Night Reporting Room in the state's primary election.","og_url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53","og_site_name":"Property Transition Media","article_published_time":"2026-05-21T04:12:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2"},"headline":"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction","datePublished":"2026-05-21T04:12:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53"},"wordCount":949,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp","keywords":["2020 Election","Brad Raffensperger","election integrity","Fulton County","Georgia","Georgia Republican Party","Georgia state election board","Josh McKoon","poll watchers","Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger","state election board","tabulation"],"articleSection":["Elections"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53","name":"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction - Property Transition Media","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp","datePublished":"2026-05-21T04:12:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/e060beb629c3aa0bcaec470dccf23e8c.webp","width":1200,"height":675},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?p=53#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Georgia Election Board Barred From Vote Observation Room, Echoing 2020 Obstruction"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/","name":"Property Transition Media","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/#\/schema\/person\/318e38080556664c79a2d76a6b0894b2","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com"],"url":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=53"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=53"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=53"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/propertytransitionmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=53"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}