3. Why unsigned tabulator tapes matter procedurally — and their limits as proof
Georgia law requires poll worker sign-off on tabulator tapes as part of the chain-of-custody and public certification process; advocates argue unsigned tapes mean those specific tabulations were “uncertified” and therefore legally suspect. Yet multiple independent tallies in 2020 — the initial machine count, a risk-limiting audit, and a recount — produced consistent results in Fulton County and statewide, meaning missing or unsigned poll tapes are one element of the paper trail but not the sole record of votes cast
The Justice Department has sued Fulton County seeking 2020 ballots and related records, arguing federal interests in compliance and alleging noncompliance with subpoenas and record requests, while conservative commentators cast the DOJ action and SEB findings as vindication of fraud claims. Mainstream outlets and prior investigations, however, emphasize that many post‑2020 legal challenges alleging widespread fraud were dismissed and that the errors formally identified were procedural or limited in scope, not proof of a stolen election .
The facts in the reporting support that procedural rules were violated — unsigned tabulation tapes and some improper recount procedures were documented — and activist estimates place the affected ballots at about 315,000. What the sources do not demonstrate is that those 315,000 ballots were counterfeit, duplicated in a way that altered the certified totals, or that any court has decertified Fulton County’s 2020 results on that basis; state audits and multiple counts found results consistent with the certified outcome. Independent outlets such as The Washington Post and fact-checking reporting also note that broad claims of a stolen 2020 election have been repeatedly debunked in courts."
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