Anti-transit activist Joe Newton filed the complaint against Nash in the weeks following the divisive March 19 referendum, which ultimately failed by more than an 8-point margin. Georgia law holds that public funds cannot be used to influence the outcome of an election, and Newton argued that Nash had improperly used county resources and her position as chairman to promote a yes vote.

Nash was, and is, undoubtedly a transit advocate. But she and the county’s legal team have maintained that she avoided telling residents how to vote and merely worked to educate them about what they were voting on.