The FBI executed a search warrant at Fulton County’s election offices tied to the 2020 general election, resulting in the seizure of hundreds of boxes of ballots and related materials; the warrant lists specific election records as targets, local officials reacted with alarm and legal vows, and federal officials say the action followed a judge’s finding of probable cause and will be followed by careful analysis in an active investigation.

700 Boxes of Ballots Seized After FBI Executes Fulton County Warrant, Dems Try to Develop ‘Legal Plan’

FBI agents carried out a warrant at Fulton County’s elections hub, and the operation removed large amounts of material connected to the 2020 general election. The warrant, signed by federal magistrate judge Catherine Salinas, lays out the items agents sought and why investigators believed a search was necessary.

The included a list of “particular things” that were to be seized during the raid. The document specifies that “all physical ballots from the 2020 general election,” ballot images, tabulator tapes, and “all voter rolls” are to be targeted, marking a broad sweep of election documentation.

The warrant states an affidavit from a special agent alleged there was “concealed” property on the premises of the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center that established probable cause to search or seize. It also asserts that the material “constitutes evidence of the commission of a criminal offense” and that it had allegedly been “used as the means of committing a criminal offense.”

Local officials and county politicians reacted quickly and publicly, framing the raid as an overreach and promising legal countermeasures. Fulton County Commissioner Mo Ivory captured that anger on video, describing the size and contents of what agents removed and vowing to pursue injunctions or motions to quash to block the investigation’s progress.

“They are now in there getting the documents,” she said in a video posted to social media. “Seven hundred boxes of 2020 ballots and accompanying things that go with it. You know, absentee ballots, all the things.”

“This is all wrong, so we’re trying to figure out a legal plan, and we should have one, whether that’s an injunction, whether a motion to quash, we’re trying to figure it out right now,” she continued. “Because this is an attack on our elections, meant to keep you from trying to go to the polls in November.”

“Once they have the ballots,” a concerned Ivory said, “how do we then turn around and do something different when they’ve already got their hands on it?” The tone from county leaders was defensive and urgent, reflecting the sensitivity of officials whose offices were being searched.

Federal officials, however, emphasized that normal legal standards were followed before the raid and that the action was part of an ongoing probe. FBI Director Kash Patel addressed the warrant and the execution of the search in a media appearance, noting that the Department of Justice and the FBI presented evidence to a judge who found probable cause.

“The FBI and DOJ presented this information to a judge in Georgia, where they determined — the judge — that there was a finding for probable cause following the constitutional precepts that are necessary to safeguard an investigation,” Patel said. “And what we did yesterday was we presented our facts and the findings of the investigation, and the judge determined there was probable cause.”

“And then you saw the results, we went and executed a search warrant, and collected the information pursuant to that search warrant to continue our investigation.”

“Yesterday was a big public-facing step, and you’re right, you saw trucks, you saw material being removed,” Patel added. “What the FBI will do is now analyze that information, and we will take the next investigatory steps with our Department of Justice partners.”

The warrant references potential violations under Title 52 related to preservation of records by election officers and criminal penalties for acts like intimidation or knowingly procuring false registrations or votes. Investigators say those statutes framed the predicate for seeking and executing the warrant.

At this stage, officials on both sides stress the investigation is active and evolving, with the FBI promising analysis and the county promising legal resistance. The scene in Fulton County reflects the clash between federal investigative power and local election administration, and it will likely play out in court and in public debate as evidence is reviewed and legal challenges are mounted.