HB 952: Bulloch County; board of elections; increase size to five members

Bulloch County's board of elections and registration currently has three members appointed by the county's governing authority. House Bill 952 amends the 2009 law that created the board so that it will have five members instead. Two of the new seats are filled after the county considers nominee lists from the local political party committees whose gubernatorial candidates got the most and second-most votes in Georgia's last general election for Governor, though the county is not required to pick from those lists. The other three members are appointed without such nominee lists. The three current members keep serving out their existing terms, with future terms set at four years. The two new party-nominated seats start with one-year terms beginning January 1, 2027, and then move to four-year terms. The law takes effect July 1, 2026 for appointing the new members, and January 1, 2027 for everything else.

• Increases the Bulloch County board of elections and registration from three members to five members.
• Creates a nomination process for two board seats, drawing from lists submitted by the local executive committees of the top two vote-getting parties in the last governor's race.
• Lets the county's governing authority appoint three board members without any party nominee list.
• Sets initial one-year terms for the two new party-nominated seats starting January 1, 2027, moving to four-year terms afterward.
• Preserves the unexpired terms of the three current board members and sets their future terms at four years.
• Sets a two-stage effective date: July 1, 2026 for appointing new members, and January 1, 2027 for all other purposes.

Residents of Bulloch County, the Bulloch County governing authority responsible for appointments, the county's board of elections and registration, and the local executive committees of the two political parties whose gubernatorial candidates received the most votes in the last general election.

Adding two seats and tying them to party nominee lists changes who sits on the body that runs elections and voter registration in Bulloch County. This could affect how appointments are made and give local party organizations a formal role in shaping the board's makeup.

• Section 1 revises Section 2 of the 2009 Act to set the board at five members, all electors and residents of Bulloch County appointed by the county's governing authority.
• Subsections (b) and (c) create the nomination process: the top two parties from the last gubernatorial election each submit up to five nominees for one seat each, with lists due at least 90 days before the seat is filled.
• Subsection (d) allows the county to appoint three members directly, without any nominee list.
• Subsection (e) keeps the three sitting members in their unexpired terms, moving to four-year terms afterward, with successors chosen under Section 5 of the original Act if a vacancy occurs.
• Subsection (f) sets one-year initial terms for the two party-nominated seats starting January 1, 2027, then four-year terms thereafter.
• Section 2 sets the effective dates: July 1, 2026 for appointing the added members, and January 1, 2027 for all other purposes.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-07-01
2. 2026-05-12Act 646
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-02-17Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-02-17Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-02-09Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-06House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Lehman Franklin (R, HD-160)Primary sponsor
• Butch Parrish (R, HD-158)
• Jon Burns (R, HD-159)

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 6, 2026

   163 yea, 0 nay (7 not voting, 5 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #480

2. PassedSenate voteFebruary 17, 2026

   48 yea, 1 nay (2 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #548

• election administration
• Bulloch County government
• board appointments
• local government law