HB640: HB640 Alpharetta, City of; election of city offices by majority vote; provide

This bill changes the local charter law that governs how the City of Alpharetta elects its city officials. It amends the 1981 Act that consolidated Alpharetta's various charter laws, specifically Section 5.16, which sets the rule for winning city elections. Under the new language, a candidate for any city office must receive a majority of votes cast to be elected outright. If no candidate gets a majority in the first round, the bill requires a runoff election between the two candidates who received the most votes, and whoever wins a majority in that runoff is elected. The bill also repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change.

• Rewrites Section 5.16 of Alpharetta's charter law to require a majority vote, not just the most votes, to win a city office.
• Creates a mandatory runoff election between the top two vote-getters whenever no candidate wins a majority in the first round.
• Specifies that the winner of the runoff election must also receive a majority of votes cast in that runoff.
• Repeals any prior laws or provisions that conflict with this new majority-vote election rule.

This bill affects candidates running for city offices in Alpharetta, Georgia, as well as Alpharetta voters and the city's election officials, who would need to administer runoff elections when no candidate wins an outright majority.

For Alpharetta residents, this means city elections could require a second, runoff vote if the first round doesn't produce a majority winner, changing how quickly and by what margin candidates are declared winners of city offices.

• Section 1 revises Section 5.16 of the 1981 Act incorporating the City of Alpharetta to require a majority vote for election to any city office.
• Section 1 also establishes that if no candidate gets a majority, a runoff is held between the two highest vote-getters.
• Section 1 requires the runoff winner to also receive a majority of votes cast in that runoff round.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard clause clearing away inconsistent prior provisions.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date 2025-05-13
2. 2025-05-13Act 159
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-18Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-18Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-04House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Charles Martin (R, HD-049)Primary sponsor
• Jan Jones (R, HD-047)
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)
• Michelle Au (D, HD-050)
• Scott Hilton (R, HD-048)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 4, 2025

   172 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #148

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 18, 2025

   51 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #235

• local elections
• city government
• Alpharetta
• election rules
• runoff elections