The Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center in Union City, Georgia, which is located just south of Atlanta, was the site of a search warrant execution by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on January 28, 2026.
Former (and current) President Donald Trump’s unfounded allegations of rampant voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election centered on this facility, which manages election operations for Fulton County, which covers the majority of Atlanta.
Key Details of the Search
What Happened: FBI agents arrived in the afternoon and conducted a court-authorized search lasting several hours, concluding by evening. They sought and seized materials, including:
Physical ballots from the 2020 general election.
Ballot images (scans).
Voter rolls from 2020.
Tabulator tapes (voting machine receipts/logs).
Digital data and related records.
Location: The modern election warehouse (opened in 2023) in Union City, used for storage and operations.
FBI Statement: Confirmed it as a “court-authorized law enforcement activity.” No arrests were reported, and the warrant remains sealed (not publicly detailed yet).
County Response: Fulton County officials cooperated fully but were not pre-notified. Spokesperson Jessica Corbitt-Dominguez stated the warrant targeted “several records related to 2020 elections.” Local leaders expressed surprise and emphasized that the 2020 results had been repeatedly audited and certified with no evidence of fraud altering the outcome.
Context: Trump’s 2020 Claims and Georgia’s Role
Trump lost Georgia to Joe Biden by about 11,779 votes (a narrow margin in a state he narrowly won in 2016).
Fulton County (Democratic-leaning, heavily Black and urban) was repeatedly targeted by Trump and allies with unsubstantiated allegations, including:
“Suitcase” ballot claims (debunked as standard procedure).
Water main break myths (also refuted).
Calls for officials to “find” votes (infamous January 2021 phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger: “I just want to find 11,780 votes”).
Multiple investigations (state audits, hand recounts, federal reviews, court rulings) found no widespread fraud sufficient to change results.
This search marks a significant escalation under Trump’s second term, with the DOJ/FBI (led by appointees like Kash Patel as FBI Director) pursuing his long-standing grievances. It follows Trump’s recent Davos comments predicting “prosecutions soon” for 2020-related issues.
Reactions and Implications
Experts & Critics: Legal scholars called it “dangerous” and an unprecedented use of federal power to revisit settled elections, potentially undermining trust in democratic processes. Some warn of political weaponization of the DOJ.
Trump Allies: Viewed as validation of fraud claims.
Democrats/Georgia Officials: Condemned as a “crusade” by a “sore loser,” noting repeated clean audits.
Broader Context: Comes amid Trump’s administration seeking voter data from states and investigating perceived opponents. Fulton County’s prior state-level probe (led by DA Fani Willis) was dismissed due to conflict issues.
The investigation is ongoing, with no immediate charges announced. This event revives one of the most contentious aspects of U.S. politics from 2020-2021.
(With agency inputs)