ATLANTA — Every county in Georgia has certified the results of the 2024 general election, a notable step after some Republican local election board members earlier this year declined to certify other results.

Typically an uncontroversial procedural move, disputes over election certification cropped up in several states in 2020, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump amplified baseless claims of widespread fraud.

The 2020 examples led to worries about what would happen following the 2024 election, with Trump again on the ballot, even as election officials and experts maintained that certification is mandatory and legal guardrails would minimize disruptions.

But with Trump’s win in Georgia and in every swing state across the country this year, claims about widespread election fraud have largely dissipated — as have concerns about certification.

A particular focus in Georgia

Each state has its own deadlines for certification of election results at the local and state levels. Georgia’s local deadline is among the earliest.

Ahead of the 2024 election, battles over certification were most pronounced in Georgia, where Republicans on the State Election Board approved rules that seemingly allowed local election board members to vote against certifying election results.

A judge later invalidated the rules, declaring them “illegal, unconstitutional and void.” Georgia law says local election boards must certify election results by 5 p.m. on Nov. 12.

But that did not stop some local election board members from pressing the courts to rule they have discretion to vote against certifying the results.

One local Republican board member, Julie Adams of Fulton County, continued to push ahead in her own lawsuit, even after a judge ruled her certification duties mandatory, not discretionary.

Adams had declined to certify election results on several occasions, saying she had not been able to independently verify the integrity of the results. Following the November election that saw Trump and others win in Georgia, she voted to certify those results, though she expressed reservations. 

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to have a court order saying I have to vote yes,” Adams said Tuesday.

Fulton County election board member Julie Adams, a Republican, is seen at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operation Center on Nov. 5.

John Bazemore/AP

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In Metro Atlanta’s most populous counties — DeKalb, Fulton, Cobb and Gwinnett — at least one local Republican board member abstained or voted against certifying results from elections earlier in the year. After the November election, all four boards certified the results unanimously.

Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger will next complete the state certification before presidential electors meet in December.

“Election integrity doesn’t happen just in the 11th hour, as some fringe activists claimed to try to do this past month. It is planned years in advance,” Raffensperger told reporters on Tuesday morning. “I believe every county will be in good shape and have it done.”

While concerns about irregularities and certification have fallen off, they have not disappeared entirely. Some local board members pressed election officials for clarity about minor discrepancies in the results before voting to certify.

A handful of Republicans, like Fulton County board member Michael Heekin, are now calling on the state legislature to empower local election board members with the discretion to vote against certifying results in future elections.

And some activists have signaled they will continue to raise concerns about election administration, like criticism of Georgia’s voting machines and voter list maintenance. 

“It’s completely different”

But for local voting officials who were preparing to be in the eye of the storm for weeks on end after voting finished, the relative calm has felt like a seismic shift compared to 2020.

“It’s completely different,” said Lisa Tollefson, county clerk for Rock County, Wis. “This time four years ago, I was getting nasty phone calls constantly in my office and we had police protection for a while.”

Her county board of canvassers met Monday to verify the general election results. At a similar meeting in 2020, there were a dozen or more observers, Tollefson said.

This year: “I had one observer,” she said. “That’s it.”

Lisa Posthumus Lyons, a clerk in Kent County, Mich., said media attention on the administration of elections also died down almost immediately after Michigan was called for Trump.

“All eyes were on us, and the second we hit midnight almost, it was like they were going to turn into a pumpkin or something and they were gone,” Lyons said. “It’s not just that it’s less tense, but it just seems less interesting to others.”

NPR’s Miles Parks contributed reporting.

ATLANTA – There’s a growing push for expansion of medical cannabis in Georgia and some veterans in the state are among the group hoping to see more access for servicemen and women struggling to adjust to civilian life.

“Life is worth living and life is tough…life is a daily fight,” said Gary Herber.

More than a decade has passed since Herber’s time serving in the army came to an end, but the Purple Heart recipient says every day is still a battle fueled by PTSD.

Herber says he’s found some relief in managing it since becoming one of the 14,000 Georgia residents on the state’s low THC oil registry.

“For those of us that just know that fight every single day, a program like this and medicines like this can make that fight a little easier,” he explained.

Georgia is home to more than 600,000 veterans according to US Census data. 

More than 30 percent of them live with a disability, but not all qualify to be on the state’s low THC oil registry. Herber says he wants to change that.

“Look into these programs…it’s made a huge difference in my life.”

He’s now working alongside physicians and officials with Fine Fettle, one of six dispensaries licensed in the state, to push for increased access.

“Some of the biggest things with PTSD is the nightmares, the night terrors, the social anxiety. I see a lot of that,” said Dr. Tiffani Forbes.

Currently, PTSD is one of 17 disorders that qualify individuals to join the state registry.

Forbes says low THC oil is formulated to help people dealing with those issues and she hopes to see Anxiety and Depression, among other disorders, added to that list as well as expanded access to cannabis in other forms.

“Here in the state of Georgia, we haven’t included flower, smoke or capable products…it’s certainly not for everyone but it is surely the quickest onset of action when we’re talking about giving people relief,” she added.

This will likely be a hot topic as state lawmakers reconvene for the upcoming legislative session. Lawmakers will head back to the Georgia State Capitol on Jan. 13, 2025.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart on Monday addressed a video of backup safety Jake Pope seemingly celebrating on the field after the Bulldogs’ 28-10 loss to Ole Miss last weekend.

“What an idiot. I mean just stupid,” Smart said. “I didn’t see it till today. But he’s embarrassed about it. He’s upset about it. … Just not real smart, but to be honest with you, I don’t have time to waste energy on that.”

Georgia player celebrating with Ole Miss fans??? 🤨https://t.co/v4yvJLacwx pic.twitter.com/rLIVF4V57D

— On3 (@On3sports) November 11, 2024

The video gained traction online on Monday. Pope apologized on X, clarifying that the person he was celebrating with was a childhood friend and former teammate of his whom he was excited to see.

“I want to say sorry for the way it was taken out of perspective and has caused distractions/commotion for my teammates and coaches,” Pope said. “In no way, shape or form would I ever celebrate a loss in this program and anyone who knows me well knows that.”

❤️ pic.twitter.com/jp5Flo5ifg

— Jake Pope (@JakePope24) November 11, 2024

Pope added he is “Georgia through thick and thin.”

Pope was a three-star prospect from Buford (Ga.) High in the Class of 2022. He transferred to Georgia this season from Alabama and has appeared in three games for the Bulldogs.

(Photo: Petre Thomas / Imagn Images)