HB 1090: Echols County; Board of Commissioners; county commissioners shall be elected from the county at large; provide

Echols County currently elects its five county commissioners partly by district, under a 2022 plan that divided the county into commissioner districts. This bill rewrites the law governing the county's Board of Commissioners so that all five members, designated Posts 1 through 5, are elected by voters countywide rather than from specific districts. Candidates must have lived in the county for at least 12 months and must win a majority of votes cast countywide for their post. The bill also repeals the map (Appendix A) that laid out the old commissioner districts. Commissioners currently serving will keep their seats until their terms end, with the current district seat holders as of January 1, 2027 becoming the initial holders of the new posts. The changes take effect January 1, 2027, and any conflicting laws are repealed.

• Requires all five members of the Echols County Board of Commissioners to be elected countywide (at large) instead of by district.
• Creates five numbered posts (1 through 5) that candidates must specify when qualifying for election.
• Repeals the county's 2022 commissioner district map (Appendix A) that had divided the county into districts.
• Lets current commissioners finish their existing terms, mapping each current district seat to a new post as of January 1, 2027.
• Sets the effective date of the new at-large election system as January 1, 2027.
• Repeals any prior laws that conflict with these changes.

Echols County voters, who will now vote on all five commissioner seats rather than just their district's seat; current and future candidates for the Board of Commissioners; and the sitting commissioners, whose terms and seat designations are directly addressed by the bill's transition rules.

Voters in Echols County would gain a say in electing every commissioner rather than only the one representing their district, while candidates would need to appeal to the whole county instead of a single district to win a seat starting in 2027.

• Section 1 rewrites Section 2 of the county's governing Act to require all five board members to be elected countywide, with each candidate specifying a post (1 through 5) and needing a countywide majority.
• Section 1 sets four-year terms and requires members to reside in the county for at least 12 months before election.
• Section 1 designates which current district-based commissioner becomes the initial holder of each new post as of January 1, 2027.
• Section 2 repeals Appendix A, the map describing the county's former commissioner districts under the 'EcholsCC-2022' plan.
• Section 3 allows sitting commissioners and anyone appointed to fill a vacancy to serve out their current terms under the old system.
• Section 4 sets the effective date of the Act as January 1, 2027.
• Section 5 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2027-01-01
2. 2026-05-11Act 539
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-24Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-24Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-17Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-12House Passed/Adopted (House)

• John Corbett (R, HD-174)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 12, 2026

   156 yea, 0 nay (11 not voting, 8 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #506

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 24, 2026

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 1 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #571

• local government
• county commissioners
• election rules
• Echols County