HB501: HB501 Elections; removal of certain members of State Election Board; revise procedures

Georgia's State Election Board includes members elected by the House and Senate. This bill amends O.C.G.A. § 21-2-30, the law governing the board's creation, membership, and removal procedures, by rewriting subsection (b). Under the revised language, a member elected by a chamber of the General Assembly can be removed at any time the legislature is in session by a majority vote of the chamber that elected them. When the legislature is not in session, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House can remove the member they or their chamber originally selected. The bill also sets out how vacancies are filled when the General Assembly is out of session, giving that power to the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House depending on who originally elected or appointed the departing member. A member appointed to fill a vacancy can be removed the same way as an elected member. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it becomes law without his signature.

• Rewrites the removal procedure in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-30(b) for State Election Board members elected by the House or Senate.
• Allows a chamber-elected board member to be removed by majority vote of that chamber at any time the General Assembly is in session.
• Allows the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House to remove the member their chamber elected when the legislature is not in session.
• Sets rules for filling a vacancy in a legislatively elected board seat when the General Assembly is not in session, based on who originally elected or appointed the departing member.
• Applies the same removal process to a member who was appointed to fill a vacancy as to one originally elected by a chamber.

The bill directly affects members of Georgia's State Election Board who are elected by the House of Representatives or the Senate, as well as the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, and the two legislative chambers, all of whom gain or use removal and appointment authority under the revised law.

The bill changes who can remove a State Election Board member and under what circumstances, affecting how quickly and by whom a legislatively chosen board member could be ousted or replaced, which shapes the board's stability and its members' independence from chamber leadership.

• Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-30(b) governing terms, removal, and vacancies for State Election Board members elected by the General Assembly.
• Sets member terms at two years, running from the day after adjournment of the session in which they were elected, until a successor is qualified.
• Permits removal by majority vote of the electing chamber while the General Assembly is in session.
• Permits removal by the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House, depending on which chamber elected the member, while the General Assembly is not in session.
• Directs the President of the Senate or Speaker of the House to appoint a replacement for a vacancy occurring while the General Assembly is not in session, based on who originally elected or appointed the prior member.
• Section 2 makes the Act effective immediately upon the Governor's signature or upon becoming law without his signature.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-20House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-19House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-02-18House Hopper (House)

• Saira Draper (D, HD-090)Primary sponsor
• L.C. Myles (D, HD-126)
• Lisa Campbell (D, HD-035)
• Floyd Griffin (D, HD-149)
• Shea Roberts (D, HD-052)

• State Election Board
• election administration
• Georgia General Assembly
• election law