Former President Carter’s nonprofit has accepted an invitation to send nonpartisan election observers to oversee the midterm elections in a Georgia county next month.
The Carter Center, which works to resolve international conflicts, promote democracy and human rights and prevent disease, announced in a release on Thursday that it accepted the invitation from the Fulton County Board of Elections and the Performance Review Board, which makes recommendations to the election board.
The observers will supervise the issuing and processing of absentee ballots, early voting and Election Day polling places, Election Day operations in the elections office and post-election procedures.
Fulton County, which includes the city of Atlanta, has been at the center of controversy as District Attorney Fani Willis investigates whether former President Trump or his allies tried to overturn President Biden’s victory in Georgia during the 2020 presidential election.
Willis initiated the investigation after the audio of a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) was publicly released, revealing Trump asked him to “find” the votes needed for him to win the state.
Willis said in August that she has heard from about 60 percent of the witnesses she wants to testify, and she has said her investigation could lead to prison sentences for multiple people.
The Carter Center’s release states that its involvement is permitted by Georgia state law’s performance review provisions, and the observers will follow a strict, nonpartisan code of conduct to ensure their role does not complicate the election process.
“Our experience around the world has shown us that providing objective information about election processes is critical to strengthening election administration and building public confidence in elections,” said Paige Alexander, the center’s CEO. “We are glad to be able to conduct independent, nonpartisan observation of key aspects of the election process in our home county.”
The release states that the center will share its findings with the performance review and election and registration boards.
The center monitored the audit of Georgia’s election results in 2020 and has observed more than 110 elections in Africa, Latin America and Asia since 1989, according to the release.