---
title: HB 501. Elections; removal of certain members of State Election Board; revise procedures
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb501
cite_as: HB 501, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb501
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb501.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb501/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70425
date: 2025-02-20
status: introduced
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: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb501.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 501
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-18
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Saira Draper
- L.C. Myles
- Lisa Campbell
- Floyd Griffin
- Shea Roberts
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB501/2025
upstream_id: 1974398
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- State Election Board
- election administration
- legislative powers
- government oversight
---
# HB 501. Elections; removal of certain members of State Election Board; revise procedures
## Text
House Bill 501
By: Representatives Draper of the 90th, Myles of the 126th, Campbell of the 35th, Griffin of
the 149th, and Roberts of the 52nd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
elections and primaries generally, so as to revise procedures for the removal of members of
the State Election Board who were elected by a house of the General Assembly; to provide
for related matters; to provide an effective date; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and
primaries generally, is amended in Code Section 21-2-30, relating to creation, membership,
terms of service, vacancies, quorum, bylaws, meetings, and executive director, by revising
subsection (b) as follows:
"(b) A member elected by a house of the General Assembly shall take office on the day
following the adjournment of the regular session in which elected and shall serve for a term
of two years and until his or her successor is elected and qualified, unless sooner removed.
An elected member of the board may be removed at any time the General Assembly is in
session by a majority vote of the house which elected him or her, or at any time when the
General Assembly is not in session by the President of the Senate if such member was
elected by the Senate or by the Speaker of the House of Representatives if such member
was elected by the House of Representatives. In the event a vacancy should occur in the
office of such a member of the board at a time when the General Assembly is not in
session, then the President of the Senate shall thereupon appoint an elector to fill the
vacancy if the prior incumbent of such office was elected by the Senate or appointed by the
President of the Senate; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall thereupon
appoint an elector to fill the vacancy if the prior incumbent of such office was elected by
the House of Representatives or appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
A member appointed to fill a vacancy may be removed at any time by a majority vote of
the house whose presiding officer appointed him or her in the same manner as a member
elected by a house of the General Assembly."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective upon its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law
without such approval.
SECTION 3.
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.
A Georgia House bill would let the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House remove their chamber's appointed member of the State Election Board when the General Assembly is not in session, expanding current removal powers.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-30), a member of the State Election Board elected by the House or Senate can only be removed by a majority vote of the chamber that elected them, which practically means removal can happen only while the General Assembly is meeting. This bill adds a new option: when the legislature is not in session, the President of the Senate could remove a member the Senate elected, and the Speaker of the House could remove a member the House elected.
The bill also changes how board members who were appointed to fill a vacancy (rather than elected) can be removed. Currently that member can be removed by a majority vote of the chamber whose presiding officer appointed them. Under the bill, they would instead be removable the same way as elected members, meaning either a vote of the chamber in session or removal by the relevant presiding officer when the legislature is out of session. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it becomes law without a signature.
### What it does
- Adds a new removal method letting the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House remove a State Election Board member their chamber elected, but only when the General Assembly is not in session.
- Keeps the existing rule that a chamber can remove its elected board member by majority vote while the General Assembly is in session.
- Changes the removal process for a board member appointed to fill a vacancy, making it match the process used for elected members instead of a separate majority-vote rule.
- Sets the effective date as the day the Governor signs the bill or it otherwise becomes law without a signature.
### Who it affects
This bill affects members of Georgia's State Election Board who are elected by the House or Senate or appointed to fill a board vacancy, as well as the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, who would gain new authority to remove those members between legislative sessions.
### Why it matters
Currently a board member elected by a chamber can effectively only be removed while the General Assembly is meeting, which is a limited window each year. This bill would let legislative leaders act on board removals year-round, changing who controls the board's makeup and how quickly changes can happen.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-30(b) so an elected board member can be removed by a chamber majority vote while the General Assembly is in session.
- Section 1 also adds that when the General Assembly is not in session, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House can remove a member their respective chamber elected.
- Section 1 changes removal of a vacancy-appointed board member from a separate majority-vote process to the same removal process used for elected members.
- Section 2 makes the Act effective upon the Governor's approval or upon becoming law without approval.
- Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-18)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-20)
- Sponsors: Saira Draper, L.C. Myles, Lisa Campbell, Floyd Griffin, Shea Roberts
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70425
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb501.md?full=1