Fulton County holds elections amid state takeover threat

By KATE BRUMBACK
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s most populous county will once again be closely watched in Tuesday’s municipal elections. Some Republicans have been itching for a state takeover of Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta. The Democratic stronghold struggled to deliver smooth elections during the early months of the pandemic last year, while former President Donald Trump and his allies have pushed unproven claims that fraud robbed him of victory. Now a sweeping new law could enable the state to replace local election officials. With 14 candidates running for Atlanta mayor, the results could be narrow and a runoff is likely. Any missteps could be pounced on to show the county isn’t competent to run its own elections.