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Here's what the report excerpts reveal about how the Fulton County special grand jury operated

From CNN's Tierney Sneed

Parts of the special grand jury report released Thursday shed light on how the panel — which had 26 members, including three alternates – operated behind closed doors over the past several months.

The grand jury began hearing evidence on June 1, 2022, having been empaneled a month earlier, and heard from 75 witnesses who played a range of roles in the 2020 election in Georgia. That testimony was usually delivered under oath.

The grand jury also reviewed physical and digital evidence, as well as the testimony from investigators and the input of team of assistant district attorneys who outlined for the grand jury the applicable statutes and procedures.

Most of the report remains non-public. But the released excerpts hint how it is structured.

“We set forth for the Court our recommendations on indictments and relevant statutes, including their votes by the Grand Jurors,” the excerpt said. “This includes the votes respective to each topic, indicated in a ‘Yea/Nay/Abstain’ format throughout.”

The still-secret report also includes footnotes where the grand jurors had the chance to clarify their votes the various recommendations, according to the public excerpts. In the report conclusion that was made public, the grand jury notes that its members were not legal experts in criminal law or election law.

“The majority of this Grand Jury used their collective best efforts, however, to attend every session, listen to every witness, and attempt to understand the facts as presented and the laws as explained,” the excerpts said.