(The Center Square) – Days after the U.S. Department of Justice said it will appeal a ruling that blocks them from personal information about Fulton County poll workers, 58 election workers from 23 states are siding with the Georgia county.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a notice of appeal on Aug. 7 from a July decision by U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II, a Trump appointee, denying access to the information. Ray said the Justice Department’s subpoena for election workers’ personal information imposes an undue burden on the county and raises questions about the department’s use of the grand jury process.
The letter was released by the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works with election officials across the country. The list includes the secretaries of state from New Mexico, Oregon and Maine, as well as local election officials.
“As election officials prepare for what promises to be a high-turnout federal midterm election, many are concerned that these efforts will make it harder to staff the polls and ensure every eligible voter can cast their ballot safely and efficiently,” they said in their letter. “Individuals considering serving as volunteers or temporary workers may reasonably hesitate if they believe their personal information may be at risk.”
David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said the Justice Department lacks a legal basis for its demands.
“The federal government is targeting Americans who serve voters in their communities every election, and in particular those who served in the middle of a global pandemic,” Becker said in a statement.
President Donald Trump has said repeatedly that the election was “stolen” and that he won Georgia’s electoral college votes in 2020. Former President Joe Biden defeated Trump 306-232 in the Electoral College. Georgia contributed 16 electoral votes to the Democrats’ win, not enough by itself to reverse the 74 votes needed to overcome Biden.
Recounts confirmed the election results.
Fulton County filed a motion to quash the subpoena, saying in court filings that it was the latest effort by Trump to “target and harass” his “perceived political enemies.”
The election officials said in their letter that the issue is not partisan.
“Election officials across the country and the political spectrum work diligently every day to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote can vote,” they said. “And in every election, ordinary citizens step up to serve as poll workers and in countless other ways, making it possible for elections to take place at all. They deserve to be respected and protected.”
Fulton County election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss won a defamation lawsuit against former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Trump advisor. Giuliani accused the women of tampering with ballots to change the outcome of the 2020 election. The settlement requires Giuliani to pay the women $148 million, according to a February 2025 report from Reuters.
The November 3 election is 12 weeks away. Georgia has two contentious races at the top of the ticket. Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins is challenging Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. Rick Jackson won the Republican primary runoff in June and is challenging former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, a Democrat, to be Georgia’s next governor. Republican Brian Kemp is term-limited and cannot run again.
