--- title: HB 593. Baker County; probate judge; provide nonpartisan elections collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb593 cite_as: HB 593, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb593 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb593.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb593/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70714 date: 2025-05-13 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-08-28 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. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb592.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb594.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 877 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb593.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 593 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2025-05-13 last_action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 sponsors: - Gerald Greene text_version: Enrolled has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB593/2025 upstream_id: 1982018 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - local elections - Baker County - probate judge - nonpartisan elections - election law --- # HB 593. Baker County; probate judge; provide nonpartisan elections ## Text 25 LC 61 0119/AP House Bill 593 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE) By: Representative Greene of the 154th A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To provide that future elections for the office of probate judg e of Baker County shall be1 nonpartisan elections; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other2 purposes.3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:4 SECTION 1.5 All elections for the office of probate judge of Baker County c onducted after the effective6 date of this Act shall be nonpartisan elections as provided for in Code Section 21-2-139 of7 the O.C.G.A. Such nonpartisan elections shall be conducted at the general nonpartisan8 election immediately preceding the expiration of the term of su ch office and conducted as9 provided in Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the O.C.G.A., the "Georgia Election Code."10 SECTION 2.11 Nothing in this Act shall affect the term of office of the prob ate judge of Baker County in12 office on the effective date of this Act. The sitting probate judge shall serve out the term of13 office for which he or she was elected and shall be eligible to succeed himself or herself as14 provided in this Act.15 H. B. 593 - 1 - 25 LC 61 0119/AP SECTION 3.16 All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.17 H. B. 593 - 2 - ## 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 593 would make future elections for Baker County's probate judge nonpartisan, meaning candidates would no longer run under a political party label. ### Plain-language summary Currently, the probate judge of Baker County is elected in a partisan election, where candidates run as representatives of a political party. This bill would change that by making all future elections for the office nonpartisan, following the process laid out in Georgia's election law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139) and the Georgia Election Code. The change would not affect the current probate judge's term. Whoever holds the office when the law takes effect would finish out their current term under the old rules and would be allowed to run again under the new nonpartisan system. The bill also repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change. ### What it does - Makes all future elections for Baker County's probate judge nonpartisan, so candidates would not run under a political party label. - Requires these nonpartisan elections to follow the process set out in Georgia's election law (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139) and the Georgia Election Code. - Protects the current probate judge's term, letting them finish their existing term under the old election rules. - Allows the sitting probate judge to run for reelection under the new nonpartisan system once their current term ends. - Repeals any prior state laws that conflict with this new nonpartisan election rule for Baker County. ### Who it affects This bill affects voters in Baker County, candidates seeking the office of probate judge there, and the current probate judge, whose existing term is preserved under the old election rules until it expires. ### Why it matters For Baker County voters, this means future candidates for probate judge will no longer appear on the ballot with a political party affiliation, changing how residents choose the local official who oversees matters like wills, estates, and certain licensing decisions. ### Key provisions - Section 1 makes all Baker County probate judge elections after the law takes effect nonpartisan, run under O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139 and the Georgia Election Code. - Section 1 specifies the nonpartisan election will happen at the general nonpartisan election right before the current term expires. - Section 2 preserves the sitting probate judge's current term and allows that judge to run again under the new nonpartisan rules. - Section 3 repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-05-13) - Last action: Effective Date 2025-05-13 (2025-05-13) - Sponsors: Gerald Greene - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70714 > The history, votes, and amendments (877 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb593.md?full=1