---
title: HB 1359. Brooks County; board of elections and registration; expand to five members
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1359
cite_as: HB 1359, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1359
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1359.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1359/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73338
date: 2026-05-12
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 887
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1359.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1359
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-12
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-12
sponsors:
  - John LaHood
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1359/2025
upstream_id: 2119512
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - election administration
  - Brooks County government
  - local government boards
  - election board appointments
---

# HB 1359. Brooks County; board of elections and registration; expand to five members

## Text

House Bill 1359 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representative LaHood of the 175th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act to create a board of elections and registration for Brooks County, approved
April 20, 2011 (Ga. L. 2011, p. 3703), so as to expand the board to five members; to provide
for a quorum of the board; to revise the manner in which members of the board are appointed
by the governing authority of the county; to make conforming changes regarding filling
vacancies on the board; to provide that the elections supervisor and employees of such
supervisor shall be subject to hiring, firing, and the control of the board of elections; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act to create a board of elections and registration for Brooks County, approved April 20,
2011 (Ga. L. 2011, p. 3703), is amended by revising subsections (a) and (b) of Section 3 as
follows:
"(a)(1) Those members of the board serving on the effective date of this Act shall have
their terms expire on December 31, 2026. As of January 1, 2027, the board shall be
composed of five members, each of whom shall be an elector of the county and who shall
be appointed as provided for in paragraph (2) of this subsection. Three members of the
board shall constitute a quorum of said board.
(2) Each member of the Brooks County Board of Commissioners shall appoint one
member of the board of elections, with such appointment being subject to approval by
majority vote of the board of commissioners.
(b) The initial members of the board appointed pursuant to this Act shall serve for terms
of office beginning January 1, 2027. The board of commissioners shall designate two of
the initial members to serve for a term ending on December 31, 2029, and three of the
initial members to serve for a term ending on December 31, 2031, and until their successors
are duly appointed and qualified. Upon the expiration of each initial term all subsequent
terms shall be for a four-year period."
SECTION 2.
Said Act is further amended by revising Section 6 as follows:
"SECTION 6.
In the event a vacancy occurs in the office of any member of the board by removal, death,
resignation, or otherwise, the commissioners shall appoint a successor, using the same
manner as was used to appoint the person vacating the board, for the remainder of the
unexpired term. The clerk of the superior court shall be notified of interim appointments
and record and certify such appointments in the same manner as the regular appointment
of members."
SECTION 3.
Said Act is further amended by revising Sections 11 and 12 as follows:
"SECTION 11.
The board of elections shall be authorized to appoint an elections supervisor to generally
supervise, direct, and control the administration of the affairs of the board pursuant to law
and duly adopted resolutions of the board. The elections supervisor shall not be eligible
to serve as a member of the board. The elections supervisor shall be considered a county
employee for purposes of pay, benefits, sick leave, vacation, and other administrative
purposes in accordance with policies adopted by the governing authority, but such
supervisor shall be subject to hiring, direction, evaluation, corrective action, and
termination by the board of elections.
SECTION 12.
The elections supervisor shall be authorized to employ such employees, including poll
workers, as may be deemed necessary by the elections supervisor and as are approved in
the annual budget adopted by the governing authority of the county. All such employees
shall be considered county employees for purposes of pay, benefits, sick leave, vacation,
and other administrative purposes in accordance with policies adopted by the governing
authority, but such employees shall be subject to hiring, direction, evaluation, corrective
action, and termination by the elections supervisor."
SECTION 4.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.

## Summaries written by Georgia Commons

The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.

House Bill 1359 would expand Brooks County's board of elections and registration from its current size to five members, starting in 2027, and change how those members are appointed and how vacancies are filled.

### Plain-language summary

Brooks County currently has a board of elections and registration created by a 2011 state law. This bill rewrites parts of that law. Starting January 1, 2027, the board will have five members instead of its current number, with three members needed for a quorum (the minimum needed to conduct business). Each of the five members of the Brooks County Board of Commissioners will appoint one board member, subject to majority approval by the full commission.
The bill also sets staggered initial terms, two members serving until December 31, 2029 and three until December 31, 2031, with all later terms lasting four years. It updates how vacancies are filled, using the same appointment method as the departing member. Finally, it clarifies that the elections supervisor and that office's employees are hired, directed, evaluated, and fired by the board of elections (or by the supervisor, for other staff), even though they remain county employees for pay and benefits.

### What it does

- Expands the Brooks County Board of Elections and Registration from its current membership to five members effective January 1, 2027.
- Sets a three-member quorum (minimum number needed to conduct official business) for the board.
- Changes appointment so each of the five county commissioners appoints one board member, subject to majority approval by the full board of commissioners.
- Creates staggered initial terms (two members until 2029, three until 2031) with all future terms lasting four years.
- Updates the vacancy-filling process so a replacement is appointed the same way the departing member was, with the clerk of superior court notified and recording the appointment.
- Specifies that the elections supervisor and staff remain county employees for pay and benefits but are hired, evaluated, and can be fired by the board of elections (or by the supervisor, for other staff).

### Who it affects

Brooks County residents and voters, the Brooks County Board of Commissioners, current and future members of the county's board of elections and registration, the county's elections supervisor, and elections office employees including poll workers.

### Why it matters

The changes would give the Brooks County Board of Commissioners a more direct role in choosing election board members, one appointee per commissioner, and would clarify that the board of elections, not just county administration, controls hiring and firing of the elections supervisor, which could affect accountability over local election administration.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 revises Section 3 of the 2011 Act to expand the board to five members as of January 1, 2027, sets a three-member quorum, and has each commissioner appoint one member subject to board approval.
- Section 1 also sets staggered initial terms, two seats ending December 31, 2029 and three ending December 31, 2031, with all later terms set at four years.
- Section 2 revises Section 6 so vacancies are filled using the same appointment method used for the departing member, with the clerk of superior court notified.
- Section 3 revises Sections 11 and 12 to state that the elections supervisor is subject to hiring, direction, evaluation, and termination by the board of elections, while other elections employees are subject to those actions by the supervisor.
- Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-12)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-12 (2026-05-12)
- Sponsors: John LaHood
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73338

> The history, votes, and amendments (887 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1359.md?full=1