ATLANTA — The Georgia State Election Board has dismissed a lawsuit aimed at enforcing a subpoena against a conservative group that failed to present evidence supporting its allegations of ballot stuffing within the state.
The Texas-based organization filed complaints in 2021, alleging it had gathered evidence of coordinated efforts to illegally collect and deposit ballots in drop boxes during the November 2020 election and the pivotal U.S. Senate runoff election in January 2021.
Following an investigation by the Secretary of State’s office, a subpoena was issued in April 2022 for the required evidence. However, in a May 2023 communication, the group’s attorney claimed that fully complying with the subpoena would breach confidentiality agreements and subsequently withdrew the allegations.
The then-chair of the State Election Board, William Duffey, emphasized the seriousness of the allegations and sought enforcement of the subpoenas, leading to a legal challenge.
In November 2023, a Fulton County judge mandated that the group provide any collected evidence, including details of individuals who allegedly shared information. However, the organization later confessed a lack of names, contact information, or any supporting documents. The case was closed in January 2024.
During a meeting on Wednesday, Election Board member Janice Johnston advocated for dismissing the lawsuit, retracting the subpoena, and closing the group’s complaint. She expressed concerns that a whistleblower, crucial to the group’s claims, would remain unidentified, rendering further investigation improbable.
The board unanimously approved Johnston’s proposal following a brief discussion.
A response was not immediately available from the legal representative of the organization regarding the subpoena case.
The group’s claims of ballot stuffing in Georgia were prominently featured in “2000 Mules,” a controversial film aimed at questioning the integrity of the 2020 presidential election results. Investigations indicated that surveillance footage cited in the film depicted individuals submitting ballots on behalf of themselves and their family members, a legal practice under Georgia state law.
In December, the filmmaker issued a statement acknowledging that erroneous information was presented regarding the ballot box surveillance footage and publicly apologized to an individual wrongfully implicated in the film. Earlier in May, an associated media group also issued an apology to the same individual.
