FBI seized Fulton County ballots; Another winter storm watch; ICE protests in Macon

Summary

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Georgia Today – Episode Summary January 29, 2026

Main Theme:
This episode of Georgia Today, hosted by Peter Biello, centers on the FBI’s recent seizure of hundreds of boxes of 2020 Fulton County election ballots, the ensuing political and legal debates, ongoing ICE protests in Macon, and an impending winter storm. The episode presents detailed analysis and interviews about the FBI raid’s impact on trust in elections, bipartisan reactions, and broader consequences for both state and national politics.

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FBI Seizes Fulton County Election Ballots

The Seizure and Immediate Reactions

• FBI Operation:
  The FBI seized hundreds of boxes of Fulton County’s 2020 election ballots and other electoral records during a search at an election warehouse in Union City.
  [00:02–00:59]

• Context:
  President Trump has long alleged voter fraud in Fulton County, although multiple audits have already validated the county’s election results.

• Local Official Response:
  Fulton County Board Chair Rob Pitts publicly questioned the continued security of the ballots:

  "I can no longer, as chair of this board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta, but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure. So that is a major concern that I have right now."
  (Rob Pitts, 01:19)

  Pitts affirmed the county’s commitment to resisting what they see as unjustified federal intervention:

  "This is by no means over and we're grateful for everyone around the country who is in this fight with us."
  (Rob Pitts, 01:45)

State & Political Reaction

• Lawmakers’ Divided Response:

  • Democrats: Atlanta Rep. Saira Draper called the seizure "a full on attack on democracy."
    (Sarah Kalis, 02:10)
  • Republicans: Rep. Victor Anderson expressed faith in the judicial process, framing it as:

    "The lawful execution of a lawfully obtained federal search warrant."
    (Victor Anderson, 02:27)

• Ongoing Uncertainty:
  The FBI has not said what will be done with the seized ballots.
  Multiple audits continue to affirm the accuracy of Georgia’s 2020 results.

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Interview: Election Integrity Implications

Guest: David Becker, Executive Director, Center for Election Innovation and Research

“Why Now?” and the DOJ’s Motives

• Becker is perplexed by the timing—over five years after the 2020 election, and a year after Trump's second inauguration:

  "That election has withstood scrutiny unlike any election in world history has seen... And now, over five years later, we see the Department of Justice come in requesting evidence, and it's very clear there's no crime that was committed."
  (David Becker, 03:23)

• Becker suspects the move is political, not judicial:

  "If anything, there was a great achievement that's been done. But unfortunately, this is going to fuel further disinformation and, unfortunately, distrust of our election system."
  (David Becker, 03:47)

Legal and Practical Implications

• On whether the raid has a legal goal:

  "I think the end goal is not to use this evidence in any kind of proceeding...there's a real question as to whether or not the DOJ has retained chain of custody...which tells you that this is probably not about introducing evidence in court."
  (David Becker, 04:41)

• On likely political exploitation:

  "We might see in the next few days or weeks claims that they found something. But they'll be put out just on social media and in press conference and on friendly media and ask yourself if they found something, why haven't they brought it to court?"
  (David Becker, 05:47)

Consequences for 2026 Elections & Public Trust

• Becker predicts increased disinformation in the run-up to the general election, especially from the federal executive branch:

  "If you think you're going to win an election, you don't devalue or delegitimize that election in advance...But if you think you're going to lose an election, that's when you start seeing disinformation being spread."
  (David Becker, 06:07)

• Reassures listeners about Georgia’s election quality:

  "Georgia runs exceptionally good elections and their voter lists are exceptionally clean. Really state of the art, the gold standard of voter lists and elections, thanks to the professionals."
  (David Becker, 06:45)

Potential Federal or State Takeovers?

• Dismisses possibility of federal executive branch assuming local election control:

  "The Constitution is very clear...state legislatures regulate elections. Congress can also regulate elections, but the executive branch, the president has no authority over elections whatsoever."
  (David Becker, 07:30)

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ICE Protests in Macon

• Public Demonstrations:
  Hundreds protested outside Macon’s federal courthouse against ICE, citing erosion of equal protection and due process rights.

  "I've never been to a protest before in my life. I'm looking at the equal protection under the law and our due process rights being eroded before my eyes on a daily basis. This can't continue and us have a free country."
  (Jeremy Etheridge, 08:25)

• Protests Expected to Continue:
  Demonstrations, including at high schools in metro Atlanta, are to resume Friday.
  [08:38]

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Political & Weather Updates

ICE & Federal Funding

[09:07]

• Ongoing congressional deadlock over Department of Homeland Security and ICE funding risks a partial government shutdown.
• Senator Jon Ossoff blames Senate Republicans for tying ICE funding to the bill:

  "There are the votes in the Senate right now to pass funding bills for the overwhelming majority of federal agencies..."
  (Jon Ossoff, 09:32)

Winter Storm Watch

• Plow and brine operations are scheduled across East-Central Georgia as Athens, Augusta, and Gainesville face a storm watch.
  [09:52]

Legislative Investigations

• Senate committee wraps up a two-year Fulton County probe, driven by tension over upcoming statewide elections:

  "There are going to be people spreading all over the state campaigning and fundraising."
  (Committee Chair Bill Koussert, 10:39)

Campaign Finance Laws

• Judge denies Secretary of State Raffensperger’s request to lift fundraising caps, increasing election law tensions ahead of the gubernatorial race.
  [10:50]

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Other Notable Stories

• Norfolk Southern Merger:
  Atlanta-based railroad’s merger with Union Pacific delayed, profit down due to regulatory hurdles.
  [10:50–11:10]

• Southern Literature Prize:
  Poet Kevin Young receives Mercer University’s Thomas Robinson Prize.
  [11:10–11:20]

• Atlanta United:
  Brad Guzan becomes the team’s club ambassador and sporting advisor following his retirement.
  [11:20–11:38]

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• "I can no longer, as chair of this board, satisfy...that those ballots are still secure." (Rob Pitts, 01:19)
• "This is by no means over and we're grateful for everyone around the country who is in this fight with us." (Rob Pitts, 01:45)
• "A full on attack on democracy." (Rep. Saira Draper, 02:10)
• "The lawful execution of a lawfully obtained federal search warrant." (Rep. Victor Anderson, 02:27)
• "That election has withstood scrutiny unlike any election in world history has seen." (David Becker, 03:23)
• "Georgia runs exceptionally good elections and their voter lists are exceptionally clean. Really state of the art." (David Becker, 06:45)
• "I've never been to a protest before in my life...This can't continue and us have a free country." (Jeremy Etheridge, 08:25)
• "There are the votes in the Senate right now to pass funding bills for the overwhelming majority of federal agencies." (Jon Ossoff, 09:32)

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Conclusion

This episode delivers comprehensive coverage of the FBI’s ballot seizure in Fulton County, highlights legal and political implications for elections and faith in democracy, describes ongoing community activism against ICE, and provides key statewide news updates. Through direct interviews, official statements, and expert analysis, Georgia Today offers a nuanced look at the intersection of federal intervention, local confidence, political rhetoric, and activism in Georgia.

Transcript

[A]

Welcome to the Georgia Today Podcast. Here we bring you the latest reports from the GPB newsroom. On today's episode, the FBI seized hundreds of boxes of ballots yesterday and other election data from an elections warehouse in Union City. Parts of Georgia are under a winter storm watch and hundreds of protesters marched to the steps of the federal courthouse in Macon last night.

[B]

I've never been to a protest before in my life. I'm looking at the equal protection under the law and our due process rights being eroded before my eyes on a daily basis.

[A]

Today's Thursday. Thursday, January 29th I'm Peter Biello and this is Georgia Today. Fulton county officials are reeling after the FBI seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and other election data from an elections warehouse in Union City. During a search yesterday, FBI agents took hundreds of boxes of ballots from Georgia's 2020 election from an election hub in Fulton County. GPB's Amanda Andrews has more three white.

[C]

Trucks were filled with archived ballots from Fulton county, the most populated county in the state. President Donald Trump has routinely alleged widespread voter fraud took place in Fulton in 2020. Multiple audits have validated the votes and the county's election results. Fulton County Chairman Rob Pitts says he's not sure what will happen to the ballots now that they've been moved.

[B]

I can no longer, as chair of this board, satisfy not only the citizens of Atlanta, but the citizens of the world that those ballots are still secure. So that is a major concern that I have right now.

[C]

Fulton county leaders are not sure the ballots are headed for GPB News. I'm Amanda Andrews.

[A]

Pitts spoke during a press briefing today and did not disclose the next steps for the county, but says Fulton will fight with every resource they have.

[B]

This is by no means over. This is by no means over and we're grateful for everyone around the country who is in this fight with us.

[A]

Pitts told reporters that the county was already planning on complying with the warrant and handing over requested material prior to the FBI Seizure. Meanwhile, the FBI's seizure of ballots in Fulton county was top of mind for lawmakers at the State Capitol today. GPB Sarah Kalis reports.

[D]

Democrats like Atlanta Representative Saira Draper were quick to criticize the ballot seizure. This is a full on attack on democracy. Meanwhile, Republicans including Representative Victor Anderson, who represents Rabin and Habersham counties, says he has faith in the judicial process.

[B]

What we saw yesterday was the lawful execution of a lawfully obtained federal search Warrant.

[D]

Agents took 700 boxes of 2020 election ballots and other election material from the Fulton County Elections Warehouse in Union City and have not said what they plan to do with them. While President Trump has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election, multiple audits have found the results to be accurate. For GPB news, I'm Sarah Kalis at the state capitol.

[A]

The FBI's seizure of ballots in Fulton county has reignited questions about the 2020 election, even after multiple audits found no evidence of fraud. So what does a move like this mean for election security and public trust? For more on that, we turn to David Becker. He's the executive director and founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit center for Election Innovation and Research. David, thank you for speaking with me.

[E]

Thanks for having me on, Peter.

[A]

So why now, a year after Trump's second inauguration, is this happening?

[E]

That's a great question. It probably should be posed to the Department of Justice and the Trump administration. As you noted, the 2020 election in Georgia was not only verified and confirmed through multiple means. It was one of the great achievements of American history, not just in Georgia, but nationwide. Somehow, election workers, Republicans, and Democrats worked together in the middle of a global pandemic to manage the highest turnout we've ever seen in American history. And that election has withstood scrutiny unlike any election in world history has seen in Georgia, specifically, those paper ballots. And every ballot was cast on paper in Georgia in 2020. Unlike 2016, those new paper ballots that were used in 2020 were counted three times, three different ways, once entirely by hand, with observation from both candidates and the parties. So now, over five years later, we see the Department of Justice come in requesting evidence, and it's very clear there's no crime that was committed. If anything, there was a great achievement that's been done. But unfortunately, this is going to fuel further, further disinformation and, unfortunately, distrust of our election system.

[A]

If the statute of limitations has run out and there's some legal debate on whether or not it has, then what do you think the ultimate end goal of this raid is?

[E]

Yeah, I think the end goal is not to use this evidence in any kind of proceeding. In fact, there's a real question as to whether or not the DOJ has retained chain of custody on these boxes of ballots that they've seized in such a way that they could introduce them into evidence in court. Unlike what had happened up until yesterday, those ballots were maintained under a strict chain of custody, meaning the election officials and others knew where they were and who had access to them at every moment of time. There were strict logbooks, strict security. Now, we don't know that. And there's going to be a gap. And if they ever try to introduce them, I suspect that they'll be inadmissible, which tells you that this is probably not about introducing evidence in court. Every time anyone has gone into court trying to prove fraud in 2020, they've failed. Oftentimes they've conceded that they lied. And here we're likely seeing that. I think the DOJ doesn't want to go to court, doesn't want to present evidence, doesn't want to have it cross examined and scrutinized, which means they want to do something that's outside the courts. And what we might see and listen for this, we might see in the next few days or weeks claims that they found something. But they'll be put out just on social media and in press conference and on friendly media and ask yourself if they found something, why haven't they brought it to court? Why haven't they subjected it to scrutiny, just like the election officials work was put to scrutiny over these last five years?

[A]

So what implications could there be for the general election later this year? After all, Fulton county is the state's most populous county, leans heavily Democrat.

[E]

You know, it's wait and see what this means for 2026. I think we can expect, given some of the rhetoric coming out of the White House over the last year, that we're going to see further disinformation. We're going to see efforts to inspire distrust in our elections. And the more we hear them, what we should be thinking is, what does this mean about what the president thinks is going to happen in the election? If you think you're going to win an election, you don't devalue or delegitimize that election in advance. That election is going to validate you and your party. But if you think you're going to lose an election, that's when you start seeing disinformation being spread. And now, of course, the president has the full arm, every lever of the federal government to a system. And unfortunately, that could amplify a lot of this disinformation. There is good news in Georgia, though. And the good news in Georgia is Georgia runs exceptionally good elections and their voter lists are exceptionally clean. Really state of the art, the gold standard of voter lists and elections, thanks to the professionals. And Georgia also makes it extremely easy to vote. Voters can choose to vote early in person. They can choose to vote by mail without an excuse, or they can vote on election day. And so Georgia voters, as much as voters all across the nation, are going to find a really convenient, safe, secure process to vote. And I expect we're going to see very high turnout that in a secure election with high integrity.

[A]

Do you foresee a possible effort by state or federal government to take over Fulton county elections?

[E]

I mean, I think there might be some rhetoric along those lines, but the Constitution is very clear. The founders wrote Article 1, Section 4, the Elections Clause, into the Constitution, which says that the state legislatures regulate elections. Congress can also regulate elections, but the executive branch, the president has no authority over elections whatsoever. And I have a great deal of confidence in the American people and the American and the election officials in the courts that despite any rhetoric, it will be Georgia election officials elected by Georgians who run elections.

[A]

David Becker is the executive director and founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit center for Election Innovation and Research. David, thank you so much for speaking with me.

[E]

Thanks. Thanks for having me on. PETER.

[A]

Protests against the current wave of immigration enforcement continue across Georgia this week. In Macon, hundreds marched last night to the steps of the federal courthouse. The group included Macon attorney Jeremy Etheridge.

[B]

I've never been to a protest before in my life. I'm looking at the equal protection under the law and our due process rights being eroded before my eyes on a daily basis. This can't continue and us have a free country.

[A]

Protests are expected to continue Friday at dozens of high schools, mostly in metro Atlanta.

[D]

How does AI even work? Where does creativity come from? What's the secret to living longer? TED Radio Hour explores the biggest questions with some of the world's greatest thinkers. They will surprise, challenge and even change. You listen to NPR's Ted Radio Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

A dispute over funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ice, could lead to a partial government shutdown just after midnight Friday. This comes after the deaths of two citizens in Minneapolis shot by ICE agents. Senate Democrats are saying they won't vote for a bill that includes funding for the agency. Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff places the blame on Republicans, saying Congress has the votes to pass a budget without including funding for ice.

[E]

There are the votes in the Senate right now to pass funding bills for the overwhelming majority of federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, including the Department of Transportation. At issue are policy within just two federal agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.

[A]

He called for Senate leader John Thune to pass an amended appropriations bill ahead of the deadline. State highway officials say crews will begin brining critical routes in east central Georgia beginning tomorrow ahead of likely snow. The Georgia Department of Transportation says plow operations are expected on Saturday morning. Augusta, Athens and Gainesville are among the areas in the winter storm watch. Georgia's Senate Committee on Special Investigations is pushing to wrap up its two year probe by the end of the legislative session in April. At a hearing on Tuesday, the committee laid out a timeline for calling remaining witnesses, including Democratic former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, committee chair Athens Republican Bill Koussert said the urgency behind the schedule is the upcoming November election.

[B]

Quite a few people on this committee are running for statewide office and I know the realities of when we finish up on April 2nd. There are going to be people spreading all over the state campaigning and fundraising.

[A]

The committee was created in 2024 to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who brought criminal charges against Donald Trump and others for trying to overturn the 2020 election. Last year, the investigation expanded to include campaign finance violations by organizations associated with Abrams. A federal judge has rejected Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger's request to raise unlimited funds for his gubernatorial campaign. His independent committee filed a lawsuit seeking permission to bypass fundraising limits. Raffensperger argues the current law violates his First Amendment rights since his opponent, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, can raise unlimited funds under a 2021 law. On Tuesday, U.S. district Judge Eleanor Ross ruled against Raffensperger, although she acknowledged that the law might be unconstitutional. Raffensperger has appealed. The law allows so called leadership committees to raise money for certain officeholders year round, potentially giving those candidates an edge. Norfolk Southern's quarterly profit slipped 12% amid the uncertain economy. The Atlanta based railroad Today also reported millions of dollars in costs related to its efforts to merge with Union Pacific to create a transcontinental railroad, the company's CEO said Norfolk Southern is focused on improving efficiency while it works to draft a merger application for federal regulators to consider. Those regulators rejected the two railroads initial merger application, citing lack of details. Mercer University's Cent for Southern Studies has awarded the 2026 Thomas Robinson Prize for Southern Literature to poet and author Kevin Young. Young is poetry editor of the New Yorker and the author of the poetry collection Jelly Roll, which was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Young has taught at Emory University and UGA and previously served as curator of Emory University's Raymond Danowski Poetry Library. The prize will be presented next month at Mercer University President's Dining Room. In sports, Brad Guzan, who retired last year as Atlanta United's all time leader in appearances, wins, saves and shutouts, has been named the team's club ambassador and sporting advisor. Atlanta United announced the move today, keeping Guzan with the five stripes in a front office position after 21 years on the field. In his new role, he's expected to support all areas of soccer operations while also working in the team's community efforts. Highlights of his career include winning the 2018 MLS cup and the 2019 US Open cup with Atlanta. Guzan says the team also has left him the flexibility to explore work as a TV analyst. That's a wrap on Georgia Today. Thank you so much for tuning in. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the latest Georgia news. You can always check gpb.org news for updates. And remember to subscribe to this podcast. It's the the best way to keep us current in your podcast feed. Your feedback is welcome and the best way to send it to us is by email. When you email georgia todaypb.org your message goes to the whole team. Again, that's Georgia Todaypb.org I'm Peter Biello. Thanks again for listening. We will see you tomorrow.