SB15: SB15 Elections; provide by local legislation for nonpartisan elections for county governing authorities; authorize the General Assembly

Georgia law already lets the General Assembly pass local legislation letting specific counties choose nonpartisan elections for judicial offices, local school board seats, and consolidated government offices. This bill adds county governing authorities, meaning county commissions and similar bodies, to that list by revising O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139(a). Under the revised law, if the General Assembly passes a local act for a county, candidates for that county's governing authority would run without party labels, and the county would no longer hold a nonpartisan primary for those seats. Instead, those officials would be elected in nonpartisan elections held alongside the general primary in even-numbered years. The bill also confirms that existing local laws on nonpartisan elections must follow the general procedures in this chapter of state law, and it repeals any conflicting laws.

• Adds county governing authorities to the list of offices the General Assembly may authorize for nonpartisan elections through local legislation.
• Removes the requirement for a separate nonpartisan primary for offices where a local act establishes nonpartisan elections under this section.
• Requires affected offices to be elected in nonpartisan elections held alongside the general primary in even-numbered years.
• Confirms that existing local laws on nonpartisan elections must still follow the general statewide procedures set out in this chapter of Georgia election law.
• Repeals any other state laws that conflict with these changes.

County governments and their governing authorities, such as county commissions, along with candidates for those seats and voters in any county where the General Assembly later passes a local act adopting nonpartisan elections under this law.

If a county gets a local act under this authority, its commission races would no longer include party primaries or party labels on the ballot, changing how candidates campaign and how voters choose county leaders in that county.

• Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139 to add 'offices of county governing authorities' to the list of offices eligible for nonpartisan elections via local act.
• Section 1 states that offices covered by such a local act will no longer require nonpartisan primaries and will instead be elected in nonpartisan elections held with the general primary in even-numbered years.
• Section 1 keeps in place the rule that existing local laws on nonpartisan elections must conform to the general procedures in this chapter, overriding any conflicting local law provisions.
• Section 1 retains language treating nonpartisan elections for consolidated governments as county elections, not municipal elections, for purposes of this code section.
• Section 2 repeals all laws and parts of laws in conflict with the Act.

1. 2025-01-16Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-01-15Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Ed Setzler (R, SD-037)Primary sponsor
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Shawn Still (R, SD-048)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)

• election rules
• county government
• nonpartisan elections
• local legislation