Georgia’s Speaker of the House David Ralston is demanding an investigation to “determine if any irregularities or willful fraud occurred” in the state’s largest metropolis last November, saying recent revelations about problems with vote counting in Fulton County merit an independent probe.

Ralston sent a letter late last week to Fulton County election officials requesting that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation be allowed to conduct the investigation.

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The request comes after Just the News reported last month that an independent observer for Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger noted two dozen pages of irregularities in the Atlanta vote counting center last Nov. 3, including double scanning of ballots, insecure transportation of ballots and possible voter privacy violations.

Raffensperger told Just the News he believes the problems in Fulton County are so extensive that the state should take over running elections in the Atlanta area.

Separately, a watchdog group called VoterGA, which won court access to absentee ballot data, said last week its review found that Fulton County’s hand count audit of the November election was riddled with “massive errors and provable fraud.”

Ralston said the recent reports of problems require a “thorough examination and explanation.”

“Given the seriousness of this situation and the possible repercussions for our state and nation, it is time we have an independent investigation — once and for all — of the way in which Fulton County conducted, counted and audited the November 2020 Presidential Election,” he wrote in his letter. “To that end, it is my urgent recommendation that your office request that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation conduct its own, independent forensic investigation into the November 2020 Presidential Election in Fulton County.

“The GBI will follow the evidence wherever it may lead to determine if any irregularities or willful fraud occurred. The professionals at the GBI have the expertise and resources necessary to perform such an investigation. Furthermore, as sworn law enforcement officers, they have the trust of the public to ensure that the law was followed.”  . . .

Vernon Jones, a former Georgia Democrat and Trump supporter now running for the GOP nomination for Georgia governor, said Sunday that Ralston’s request was welcome but came too late and doesn’t go far enough. Jones has been calling for a statewide audit of November’s election results.

“I am glad to see Georgia Speaker of the House David Ralston and others are finally calling for a GBI investigation into the fraud being uncovered in Fulton County,” Jones said. “But, as I have been screaming from the rooftops for months, we need a forensic audit in all 159 counties in Georgia.”