Fulton County delays vote on GOP nominees to elections board, tables decision until appeals court rules

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted to table the appointment of two Fulton County Board of Registrations and Elections nominees — Julie Adams and Jason Fraser — until an appeal in the courts is resolved.

The board voted to table the nominations after more than an hour of public comment and extended debate among commissioners about the legal and financial risks of acting while litigation is pending. Commissioner Bridget Thorne, Vice Chairman Bob Ellis, Commissioner Moe Ivory, Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr., Commissioner Khadijah Abdul Rahman, Commissioner Dana Barrett and Chairman Rob Pitts took part in the discussion; the motion to table was made by Commissioner Dana Barrett and seconded by Commissioner Khadijah Abdul Rahman. The motion carried (transcript: "And the vote is open. And the motion passes 5 yeas, 2 nays.").

The item, listed on the agenda as 25-0-6-49, had drawn repeated public comment over months and two prior votes by the commission. Dozens of speakers during the public-comment period urged commissioners either to refuse the GOP nominees because of alleged ties to groups that push election challenges, or to approve them on the…