Georgia CommonsHouse · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 699: Dawson County; board of elections and registration; provide staggered terms
Last action May 13, 2025 · Effective Date
House Bill 699 would set staggered four-year terms for members of the Dawson County board of elections and registration, replacing a system where terms could end at the same time.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Dawson County has a board of elections and registration created by a 1998 state law. This bill changes how the board's members' terms are scheduled. Instead of all initial members' terms running the same course, the bill designates that some initial members appointed under one part of the law will serve terms ending December 31, 2024, while others will serve terms ending December 31, 2026. Both groups continue serving until successors are appointed and qualified. After these initial staggered terms expire, the bill sets a standard rule: successors to these board members will serve four-year terms and continue until their own successors are appointed and qualified. The bill repeals any conflicting laws, meaning older provisions about term lengths for this board that contradict the new schedule no longer apply.
What the bill does
- Revises the 1998 Dawson County elections board law to stagger the expiration dates of initial board members' terms.
- Sets one group of initial board members to serve terms ending December 31, 2024, until successors are appointed and qualified.
- Sets a second group of initial board members to serve terms ending December 31, 2026, until successors are appointed and qualified.
- Establishes that all future successors to these board members serve four-year terms and continue until their successors are appointed and qualified.
- Repeals any prior laws that conflict with this new term structure.
Who it affects
Members of the Dawson County board of elections and registration, the Dawson County governing authority responsible for appointing them, and Dawson County voters who rely on the board to administer elections and voter registration.
Why it matters
Staggering board members' terms means the whole board will not turn over at once, which can help preserve institutional knowledge and continuity in how Dawson County runs elections and manages voter registration from year to year.
Key provisions
- Section 1 revises paragraph (3) of subsection (b) of Section 2 of the 1998 Act creating the Dawson County board of elections and registration.
- Subparagraph (A) designates certain initial members to serve terms ending December 31, 2024, until successors qualify.
- Subparagraph (B) designates certain initial members to serve terms ending December 31, 2026, until successors qualify.
- Subparagraph (C) sets all future successor terms at four years, continuing until a successor is appointed and qualified.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“Successors to members designated pursuant to subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph shall be appointed to serve terms of four years and until their respective successors are appointed and qualified.”
Status timeline
- Effective Date
- Act 161
- House Date Signed by Governor (House)
- House Sent to Governor (House)
- Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
- Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
- Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
- House Passed/Adopted (House)
Show full history (13 actions)
- House Third Readers (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Will Wade (R, HD-9)
- Johnny Chastain (R, HD-7)
Votes
- House voteMarch 13, 2025
169 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 6 excused)
- Senate voteMarch 28, 2025
53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 2 excused)
Topics
- Dawson County
- board of elections
- election administration
- local government terms