HB 759: Spalding County; board of elections; terms of members; update provisions

Spalding County's board of elections operates under a 1987 local Act that the General Assembly has amended several times. This bill makes another round of updates to that law. It resets the term for the fifth board member (the one appointed by superior court judges) so that person's initial term ends January 1, 2025, with removal only for cause after notice and a hearing. It also renames the county's 'elections supervisor' position to 'elections director' throughout the Act and updates that position's duties, including training poll workers and board employees and overseeing election administration. The bill also clarifies that the board must follow Georgia's open meetings and open records laws and must give the public adequate access to its meetings. It restates rules on who can serve as elections director or staff, including residency and voter registration requirements and restrictions on holding other public office or county employment. Finally, it authorizes the board to hire its own legal counsel instead of relying only on the county attorney.

• Sets the term of the superior-court-appointed fifth board member to end January 1, 2025, removable only for cause after notice and a hearing.
• Renames the county's elections supervisor position to elections director throughout the underlying 1987 Act.
• Requires the board to fully comply with Georgia's open meetings and open records laws and ensure adequate public access to meetings.
• Assigns the elections director responsibility for training board employees and poll workers and for selecting and appointing poll workers from party-provided lists.
• Sets residency, employment, and full-time status rules for the elections director and staff, and bars elected officials or certain public employees from serving in those roles.
• Authorizes the board to hire its own legal counsel rather than being limited to representation by the county attorney.

Members of the Spalding County Board of Elections, the county's elections director and staff, poll workers, county political party committees, the Spalding County governing authority, and Spalding County voters who interact with the board's meetings and election administration.

The changes affect how Spalding County's elections are staffed and overseen day to day, including who can serve as elections director, how poll workers are trained, and whether the board can retain its own attorney instead of relying solely on the county attorney for legal matters.

• Section 1 revises Section 5(b) to set the fifth board member's initial term ending January 1, 2025, with removal only for cause by a majority of superior court judges after notice and a hearing.
• Section 2 revises Section 9(b) and (e), requiring compliance with open meetings and open records law and assigning the elections director training duties.
• Section 3 revises Section 10, giving the elections director responsibility for selecting and training poll workers from party-provided lists.
• Section 4 revises Section 12 to rename the position 'elections director,' require full-time status, set a 60-day appointment deadline for vacancies, and impose residency and conflict-of-interest restrictions.
• Section 5 revises Section 14(b) to let the board hire its own legal counsel or use the county attorney.
• Section 6 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-05-13Effective Date
2. 2025-05-13Act 169
3. 2025-05-13House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2025-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2025-03-28Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2025-03-28Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2025-03-27Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2025-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Beth Camp (R, HD-135)Primary sponsor
• Karen Mathiak (R, HD-82)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2025

   170 yea, 0 nay (6 not voting, 4 excused)

   Local Calendar: House Vote #302

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 28, 2025

   53 yea, 0 nay (1 not voting, 2 excused)

   LOCAL CONSENT CALENDAR: Senate Vote #313

• Spalding County
• election administration
• local legislation
• board of elections
• open meetings law