As Georgia ballot harvesting probe starts, some election evidence has vanished already

Some big Georgia counties say they didn't retain surveillance video from absentee drop boxes in the 2020 election. 

 By John Solomon and Natalia Mittelstadt  January 7, 2022

Since 1960, federal civil rights law has required state and local election officials to "retain and preserve" records relating to elections involving federal officeholders for 22 months after ballots are cast.

That would seem to be a good thing as Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger embarks on an investigation into whether third-party liberal activists in 2020 illegally gathered and delivered absentee ballots for voters — a practice known as harvesting that is outlawed in the Peach State.

But some of Georgia's largest counties tell Just the News that they no longer possess evidence that could be helpful to probing the harvesting allegations: video camera surveillance footage that monitored the drop boxes installed around Georgia to help voters cast ballots during the pandemic..........

The group also said it interviewed a Georgia man who admitted he was paid thousands of dollars to harvest ballots in the Atlanta metropolitan area during the November election and Jan. 5 runoffs. State officials say obtaining the identity of that witness and securing his possible cooperation is a high priority for the investigation.............The revelation that some of Georgia's largest counties destroyed the surveillance video means Raffensperger's team most likely will be limited to reviewing the footage that True the Vote or other groups obtained a year ago at the start of their investigations into harvesting. Officials estimate that footage covers about 15% of all of the drop boxes in the major urban areas around Atlanta..............."To learn this promise has been breached, evidence has been destroyed and the law broken is astonishing. It is this lack of accountability and transparency by public officials, and not citizens questioning the manner in which the election was conducted, which is undermining faith in American elections."..............

"My calls for a forensic audit of all 159 counties have been ignored by Georgia's Governor & Secretary of State," he said. "More than ever before a forensic audit is needed before additional vital election records are destroyed."...........To Read More.....