UMVA has uncovered a startling plan for Georgia’s 2026 election results: Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger intends to tally the final numbers in a clandestine, undisclosed location—a secret bunker—directly contravening state and federal laws mandating public transparency.
Under Georgia law, every stage of election administration must occur in plain sight. O.C.G.A. § 21-2-406 explicitly demands that officials “perform their duties in public,” yet Raffensperger’s office has refused to disclose where or how the statewide results will be aggregated. The bunker, operated by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, is rumored to be buried beneath an Emergency Operations Center near metro Atlanta—accessible only to Raffensperger’s team.
More than 150 county election officials already conduct their own public tallies on Election Night, but Raffensperger’s secrecy sets a dangerous precedent. Federal law, including 52 USC § 21083a, grants Congressional candidates the right to observe the process—a right Raffensperger has openly ignored. Candidates from both parties are now preparing to file emergency lawsuits to halt the plan.
The State Election Board (SEB) first raised alarms in a remote meeting on May 1, 2026, demanding at least one representative from each major party be present for the aggregation. Raffensperger’s office dismissed the request. Days later, SEB members invoked multiple statutes to challenge the secrecy, but their voices were drowned out by Raffensperger’s refusal to budge.
Garland Favorito, a leading advocate for election integrity, condemned the move as another violation of Georgia’s democratic safeguards. He pointed to Raffensperger’s 2019 purchase of a $100 million voting system later ruled illegal by a federal court. “This isn’t a technicality—it’s a deliberate attack on transparency,” Favorito stated. “The people deserve to see how their votes are counted, not buried in a bunker.”
As the 2026 election approaches, the conflict escalates. The bunker’s existence has sparked fears of tampering, fraud, and eroded public trust. With legal battles looming and state officials at odds, one question remains: Can Georgia’s elections remain open when their final count is hidden from view?
