Judge Voids Emergency Restraining Order From GA GOP Against Raffensperger
The Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) is issued mere hours prior to the critical May 19 primary elections in Georgia, and it represents a significant victory for election integrity advocates who have been advocating for transparency from the official responsible for conducting fair elections.
Raffensperger’s office intended to tally and report the results of Georgia’s 2026 primary from an undisclosed, secure “emergency bunker” in metro Atlanta.
This facility, which has been completely off-limits to candidates, the public, and even bipartisan members of the State Election Board (SEB), was coordinated with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.
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Raffensperger’s team consistently denied access requests, asserting that they actually tally no ballots there; rather, they aggregate pre-certified county results.
Critics characterized it as a flagrant violation of state transparency laws, which mandate public oversight of all election-related activities.
Republican candidates Chris Mora and Keli Gambrill, as well as state senator Greg Dolezal, filed an emergency lawsuit against Raffensperger, requesting that the court compel the shelter to be opened.
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Dolezal condemned the refusal as intolerable, asserting that the room is where the county receives results and that they may raise concerns regarding their validity.
Additionally, she pointed out that SEB members have previously had access to the room.
Dolezal celebrated the huge victory.
“We have secured a TRO from Chief Judge Glanville. Bipartisan members of the State Election Board and poll watchers WILL be allowed inside Secretary Raffensperger’s “bunker” to observe tonight’s process. Transparency wins. The people of Georgia deserve honest, observable elections,” Dolezal wrote on X.
Lt. Gov. Burt Jones also weighed in Monday, calling Raffensperger’s decision to block State Election Board members from providing oversight unacceptable and calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to get involved.
“Georgians demand transparency and integrity in our elections,” Jones said. “I’m calling on DOJ to weigh in immediately.”
U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller, R-Ga., took a step Monday, writing a letter to House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil requesting that congressional observers be designated to monitor all elements of the Secretary of State’s election reporting process, including the Election Night Reporting Room.
In the letter, Fuller referenced the Confirmation of Congressional Observer Access Act, which mandates that states permit congressional election observers access to any location where voting results are being processed, tabulated, or certified, and Article I, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution, which grants Congress the authority to judge the elections of its members.
“Having transparency in our elections is critical, and no one should be afraid of oversight,” Fuller wrote, adding that he stood ready to offer his staff to serve as observers if needed.
Raffensperger responded to the lawsuit in a statement, pushing back on the claims and defending Georgia’s election process.
“For a guy who constantly lectures everyone about election integrity, you’d think Senator Dolezal would know that votes are not counted in the Secretary of State’s Emergency Operations Center,” Raffensperger said. “The real fight to safeguard the ballot box happens at the local level — inside county election offices and tabulation centers across Georgia.
“But facts clearly aren’t getting in the way of Dolezal’s desperate search for press attention and votes. So buckle up, Greg. This isn’t my first rodeo.
“You are about to join Stacey Abrams, Joe Biden, and the New Georgia Project on the long list of people who sued me and lost.”
