Fulton Board Gets New Chair As Georgia Reviews Its Elections

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners picked former Atlanta City Council president Cathy Woolard to lead the county’s election board on Sept. 15.

Eboni Lemon / WABE

Commissioners in Fulton County have picked a former Atlanta City Council president to lead their election board as a state panel reviews how elections are conducted in Georgia’s most populous county.

The Fulton County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to appoint Cathy Woolard to chair the five-person county Board of Registration and Elections. Her nomination by Board of Commissioners Chair Robb Pitts succeeded despite condemnation of the choice by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s top elections official.

Raffensperger, a Republican facing a primary challenge next year, objected to what he called a “blatantly political appointment” because Woolard had registered earlier this year as a lobbyist for Fair Fight Action, a group started by Stacey Abrams, a Democrat who narrowly lost the race for governor to Republican Brian Kemp in 2018. While Abrams hasn’t said she’s running, she’s widely expected to challenge Kemp to a rematch next year.