Judge Orders Georgia to Allow Bipartisan Monitoring Inside State Election ‘Bunker’

Fulton County judge grants temporary restraining order requiring Georgia election officials to permit poll watchers inside the state’s central election operations center during vote reporting activities.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

A Fulton County Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered Georgia election officials to permit bipartisan observation inside the state’s election-night operations center, siding with Republican state Sen. Greg Dolezal in a legal challenge over transparency during vote reporting operations.

The ruling from Judge Ural Glanville grants a temporary restraining order preventing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger from barring designated poll watchers from observing activities at the state’s centralized election reporting hub, commonly referred to as “the bunker.”

Dolezal, who is currently running for lieutenant governor, filed the lawsuit after alleging Raffensperger informed the Georgia State Election Board through its chairman that observers would not be allowed inside the facility where statewide election totals are received, verified, aggregated, and publicly reported.

According to a Fox5 Atlanta report, Dolezal argued the exclusion violated election transparency standards and limited oversight of critical election-night procedures.

In his ruling, Glanville stated that the petitioners demonstrated “a substantial likelihood of success on the merits” of their claims and concluded they would suffer “irreparable injury” if relief was not granted before election operations proceed.

The court order prohibits Raffensperger and the Secretary of State’s office from restricting “designated poll watchers from observing the tabulation, aggregation, verification and reporting of election results” at the state’s central election office.

Dolezal posted the ruling publicly Tuesday in a statement shared on X.

The order marks the latest legal dispute involving election administration procedures in Georgia, where debates over ballot counting, election observation, and transparency have remained central political issues following the 2020 presidential election.