County leaders in Georgia reject election board nominee who challenged voters' eligibility

ATLANTA (AP) — Elected leaders in Georgia's most populous county — a Democratic stronghold — on Wednesday rejected a Republican nominee for the county elections board who had challenged the eligibility of thousands of voters.

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to reject Jason Frazier, one of two nominees put forth by the county Republican Party for a seat on the county Board of Registration and Elections. The commissioners voted 7-0 to approve the appointment of the other Republican nominee, Mike Heekin, as well as the reappointment of two Democratic nominees, Teresa Smith Crawford and Aaron Johnson, for two-year terms that begin July 1.

Fulton County has a history of election problems, including long lines to vote and delays in reporting results. After a particularly troubled primary in 2020, an independent monitor was appointed to observe the general election that year as part of a consent agreement between the county and the State Election Board. The monitor said the county's elections were badly managed but he found no evidence of fraud.

Republican lawmakers used a sweeping election law passed in 2021 to appoint a review panel to determine whether the state should take over Fulton County's elections. That panel submitted its final report to the State Election Board in January, citing improvement and recommending against a state takeover. The state board has yet to take action on that recommendation.

Former President Donald Trump focused on Fulton County after he narrowly lost Georgia to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 general election. He made unfounded allegations of widespread voter fraud in the county.

Before their vote Wednesday, the county commissioners heard from a few dozen members of the public, most of whom spoke in favor of Frazier. But voting rights groups have raised concerns about his...