Secretary Raffensperger Calls for Suspension of Indicted Macon County Election Director
Summary
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called on April 16, 2026 for the immediate suspension of Macon County Election Supervisor Tarshea Fudge-Riley, who was indicted in U.S. District Court on federal healthcare fraud charges. The indictment alleges Fudge-Riley participated in organizing fraudulent billing for mental health services that were never provided, falsifying documentation and coordinating efforts to defraud public and private health benefit programs. Raffensperger criticized the Macon County Commission for failing to act promptly and emphasized the importance of voter confidence in local election administration ahead of the 2026 Midterms.
“"Georgians deserve absolute integrity from their election directors and staff," said Secretary Raffensperger.”
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What changed
Secretary Raffensperger publicly called for the suspension of Macon County Election Supervisor Tarshea Fudge-Riley following her federal indictment on healthcare fraud charges. The statement emphasizes that the charges jeopardise public trust in election administration and criticises the Macon County Commission for not acting swiftly.\n\nWhile this is a public statement rather than a binding regulatory action, county officials and election administrators should note the Secretary's explicit expectation that officials facing serious criminal charges step aside during legal proceedings. The office stated it stands ready to support Macon County in maintaining election continuity during the 2026 Midterms.
Archived snapshot
Apr 22, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Secretary Raffensperger Calls for Immediate Suspension of Indicted Macon County Election Director
April 16th, 2026 Atlanta – Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger called for the immediate suspension of Macon County Election Supervisor Tarshea Fudge-Riley following her indictment on federal health-care related charges.
According to an indictment in U.S. District Court, Fudge-Riley is among a group alleged to have organized fraudulent billing for mental health services that were not provided. The allegations include falsified documentation and coordinated efforts to defraud public and private health benefit programs at the expense of taxpayers.
“Georgians deserve absolute integrity from their election directors and staff,” said Secretary Raffensperger. “These are serious charges that jeopardize public trust. Fudge-Riley must step aside while the legal process plays out. Its troubling she hasn’t done that voluntarily.”
Raffensperger criticized the Macon County Commission for failing to take immediate action following news of the arrest.
“It is deeply disappointing that the Macon County Commission has not acted swiftly in response to these developments,” Raffensperger continued. “This lack of urgency undermines confidence in local election administration. The Commission must put the interests of voters first and move without delay.”
Secretary Raffensperger emphasized that the office is ready to support Macon County, given that the 2026 Midterms are already in progress.
“Our office stands ready to assist Macon County in ensuring continuity of operations and upholding the integrity of its elections,” Raffensperger added. “But accountability can't wait. The voters of Macon County deserve better than uncertain leadership.”
Georgia is recognized as a national leader in elections. It was the first state in the country to implement the trifecta of automatic voter registration, at least 17 days of early voting (which has been called the “gold standard”), and no-excuse absentee voting. Georgia continues to set records for voter turnout and election participation, seeing the largest increase in average turnout of any other state in the 2018 midterm election and record turnout in 2020, and 2022. 2022 achieved the largest single day of in-person early voting turnout in Georgia midterm history utilizing Georgia’s secure, paper ballot voting system. Most recently, Georgia received top rankings for Election Integrity by the Heritage Foundation, a top ranking for Voter Accessibility by the Center for Election Innovation & Research and tied for number one in Election Administration by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
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