HB 5: Decatur County; board of commissioners; change district residency requirements for candidates

This bill amends the local Georgia law that governs the Decatur County board of commissioners, originally passed in 1935 and previously updated in 2015. It rewrites Section 2 of that law, which sets the qualifications for commission candidates and how they are elected. Under the revised language, commissioners must still be at least 21 years old and qualified voters of Decatur County, but the bill sets the district residency requirement at 12 months before taking office. It also keeps existing rules that a commissioner who stops living in their district creates a vacancy, that candidates must declare their district when qualifying to run, and that winning requires a majority of votes cast, with a run-off if no one gets a majority. Elections continue to follow Georgia's statewide election law (O.C.G.A. Chapter 2 of Title 21). The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Sets the residency requirement for Decatur County commission candidates at 12 months living in their district before taking office.
• Keeps the rule that a commissioner who stops residing in their district during their term creates a vacancy to be filled under existing procedures.
• Requires each candidate to declare which district they are running for at the time they qualify for office.
• Confirms that a candidate must win a majority of votes cast for that seat, triggering a run-off election if no one reaches a majority.
• Repeals any prior local laws or provisions that conflict with this revised residency and election framework.

Residents of Decatur County who want to run for or currently serve on the county board of commissioners, as well as voters in each commission district who elect them, are directly affected by this change to local candidate qualification rules.

The revised residency requirement determines who is eligible to run for a seat on the Decatur County board of commissioners, which could affect who qualifies for upcoming elections and how quickly someone who moves into a district can become a candidate there.

• Section 1 revises Section 2 of the 1935 Decatur County commissioners Act, most recently amended in 2015, to restate the district residency requirement as 12 months before taking office.
• Section 1 retains the rule that ceasing residency in a commission district during a term creates a vacancy filled under the Act's existing procedures.
• Section 1 keeps the majority-vote and run-off election rules for commission seats and ties elections to Georgia's Election Code (O.C.G.A. Chapter 2 of Title 21).
• Section 2 repeals any laws or parts of laws that conflict with this Act.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 132
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-02-12Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-02-12Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-02-06Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-02-05House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Joe Campbell (R, HD-171)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 5, 2025

   160 yea, 1 nay (14 not voting, 5 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #15

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 12, 2025

   52 yea, 1 nay (1 not voting, 2 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #45

• local government
• county commissioners
• election rules
• Decatur County
• residency requirements