Cobb County elections board meeting ended abruptly after attendee shouted 'Heil Hitler'

A local elections meeting in an Atlanta suburb came to an abrupt end Monday night after an unidentified attendee shouted “Heil Hitler” during the public comment period.

The Cobb County Board of Elections met to consider a resolution requesting the State Election Board postpone further rule-making until after the November presidential election.

The Peach State has come under national scrutiny after three Republican members endorsed new election rules, prompting warnings from elected officials and experts across major political parties about the potential for heightened election misinformation and turmoil during the general election.

With less than 50 days until the election, the board is scheduled to meet again on Sept. 20 and will consider even more rule changes, prompting outcry from election officials and lawsuits from Democratic officials.

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At the Cobb County meeting, the antisemitic outburst came moments after a member of the public called on one of the board members to resign, accusing her of being a “closeted Communist or Marxist” because she remained seated during the Pledge of Allegiance.

As the speaker got up from the stand and returned to his seat, the crowd could be heard clapping and booing, and then the phrase “Heil Hitler” was shouted twice, prompting an outcry from members of the board.

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“That is extremely unacceptable,” Chair Tori Silas responded, halting the meeting and asking the person who made the outburst to leave the room.

“Antisemitic rhetoric [is] not acceptable. I won’t continue to sit in my seat if that person remains in the room,” added Vice Chair Jennifer Mosbacher, who said she is Jewish.

“If you’re proud enough to say it out loud, stand behind whatever you said and remove yourself from the room now, please,” Silas said.

However, no one stood up to leave, and the board members could not identify the speaker. After a few minutes of deliberation, the board adjourned early.

“It’s not lost on me that just up the street was the only Jewish man lynched in this county,” Mosbacher said to the crowd, referencing Leo Max Frank, who was lynched in Marrietta, Georgia in 1915. “There will be no ‘Heil Hitler’ in this room. . . Antisemitism in whatever form, whoever says it, is inappropriate in today’s world.”

Maya Homan is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY who focuses on Georgia politics. She is @MayaHoman on X, formerly Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Antisemitic comments halt elections meeting in Cobb County, Georgia