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Cumming Today
By the People, for the People
Georgia Lawmakers Debate Fulton County Elections, High School NIL, and Nonpartisan Judges
Lawmakers discuss next steps after FBI raid, pass bills on high school athlete contracts and faster food delivery robots
Published on Feb. 12, 2026
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On Wednesday at the Georgia Capitol, lawmakers from both parties discussed the recent FBI raid on a Fulton County elections warehouse and debated several bills, including measures related to high school athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) rights, faster food delivery robots, and allowing all judges to run as nonpartisan candidates.
Why it matters
The discussion around the Fulton County elections raid highlights ongoing partisan tensions and concerns about election integrity in Georgia, while the bills passed by the House and Senate touch on issues of student athlete rights, public safety, and judicial independence.
The details
Democratic state representatives Saira Draper and Tanya Miller held a press conference disputing claims made in the FBI's subpoena of Fulton County voting documents, arguing that the issues raised had already been investigated and litigated. Republican Sen. Greg Dolezal called for the state to take over Fulton County's election operations, while Fulton County Commission Chairman Rob Pitts vowed to defend the county's elections. The House also passed bills related to high school athlete NIL rights, increasing the speed limit for food delivery robots, and allowing all judges to run as nonpartisan candidates.
- On Wednesday, February 12, 2026, lawmakers discussed the Fulton County elections raid and debated several bills at the Georgia Capitol.
The players
Saira Draper
Democratic state representative from Atlanta.
Tanya Miller
Democratic state representative from Atlanta.
Greg Dolezal
Republican state senator from Cumming.
Rob Pitts
Fulton County Commission Chairman.
Brent Cox
Republican state representative from Dawsonville.
What they’re saying
“These are issues that have been openly reported by journalists. These are issue that have investigated both by Democratically controlled Fulton County and Republican-controlled state agencies in Georgia. These are the issues that has been litigated to death in court and have never passed muster. Honestly, the most telling thing about this affidavit is that after more than five years to find evidence of fraud, a rehash of baseless election denier talking points was all the federal government could come up with. Why? Because there is no fraud.”
— Saira Draper, Democratic state representative (GPB)
“What has us concerned moving forward is the voter rolls in Fulton County continue to be a mess. And it's my personal opinion it's past time for the state to take over Fulton County elections until they prove that they're capable of adjudicating our elections in Georgia.”
— Greg Dolezal, Republican state senator (GPB)
“Well, after I stopped laughing, remember, this is election season. Every elected official — well, many, many would-be elected officials gonna seize upon this moment to have their 10 to 15 seconds in the spotlight by picking on Fulton County. But let me be crystal clear. We at Fulton County, we will fight with every resource available to us to defend our elections and the rights of the people who reside in Fulton County, who live in Fulton County, who vote in Fulton County.”
— Rob Pitts, Fulton County Commission Chairman (GPB)
“What this does is it protects these student athletes from having these unended contracts at the collegiate and the NFL level. I had the privilege of working on both sides of the aisle with this and we wanted to ensure that we were protecting these young athletes to be able to maximize their potential and also so that you know if there's questions when a student athlete has that money. The parents are the ones who go in contract with this under child acting laws, and they're also the ones that will be responsible to understand these contracts.”
— Brent Cox, Republican state representative (GPB)
What’s next
The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.
The takeaway
This debate over Fulton County elections highlights the ongoing partisan tensions and concerns about election integrity in Georgia, while the bills passed by lawmakers address issues of student athlete rights, public safety, and judicial independence - demonstrating the wide range of policy discussions taking place in the state legislature.
