---
title: HB 952. Bulloch County; board of elections; increase size to five members
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb952
cite_as: HB 952, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb952
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb952.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb952/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72177
date: 2026-05-12
status: passed
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: 884
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb952.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 952
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-12
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
  - Lehman Franklin
  - Butch Parrish
  - Jon Burns
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB952/2025
upstream_id: 2074031
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - election administration
  - Bulloch County government
  - board appointments
  - local government law
---

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

## Text

House Bill 952 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Franklin of the 160th, Parrish of the 158th, and Burns of the 159th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act to create a board of elections and registration for Bulloch County and
provide for its powers and duties, approved May 11, 2009 (Ga. L. 2009, p. 4409), so as to
increase the size of the board to five members; to revise procedures for the appointment of
such board members; to provide for interim terms; to provide for related matters; to provide
for effective dates; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act to create a board of elections and registration for Bulloch County and provide for its
powers and duties, approved May 11, 2009 (Ga. L. 2009, p. 4409), is amended by revising
Section 2 as follows:
"SECTION 2.
(a) Such board shall be composed of five members, each of whom shall be an elector and
resident of Bulloch County and who shall be appointed by the governing authority of
Bulloch County.
(b) One member of the board shall be appointed by the governing authority of the county
after consideration of a list of not more than five nominations provided by the local
executive committee of the political party whose candidate at the last preceding regular
general election held for the election of Governor received the largest number of votes in
this state for Governor; provided, however, that, with the exception of a vacancy in office
prior to a member's unexpired term, the governing authority of the county shall not be
required to consider said nominations unless the list is delivered to the governing authority
of the county not later than 90 calendar days preceding the date on which such member is
to take office; and provided, further, that, the governing authority of the county shall not
in any event be required to appoint a member from said list of nominations if, in the
governing authority's sole discretion, it determines that none of the nominees on said list
are suitable for appointment to the board.
(c) One member of the board shall be appointed by the governing authority of the county
after consideration of a list of not more than five nominations provided by the local
executive committee of the political party whose candidate at the last preceding regular
general election held for the election of Governor received the second largest number of
votes in this state for Governor; provided, however, that, with the exception of a vacancy
in office prior to a member's unexpired term, the governing authority of the county shall
not be required to consider said nominations unless the list is delivered to the governing
authority of the county not later than 90 calendar days preceding the date on which such
member is to take office; and provided, further, that, the governing authority shall not in
any event be required to appoint a member from said list of nominations if, in the
governing authority's sole discretion, it determines that none of the nominees on said list
are suitable for appointment to the board.
(d) Three members of the board shall be appointed by the governing authority of the
county without receiving a list of nominations pursuant to subsections (b) and (c) of this
section.
(e) The three members of the board in office on January 1, 2027, shall continue to serve
out their unexpired terms; provided, however, that, if one of more of these three members
is unable to serve out their unexpired term, the governing authority of the county shall
appoint a successor for the remainder of the unexpired term in accordance with Section 5
of this Act. Such three members or their successors shall be appointed for future terms of
four years in accordance with subsection (d) of this section.
(f) Two members of the board shall be appointed in accordance with subsections (b)
and (c) of this section for initial terms of one year commencing on January 1, 2027, and
ending on December 31, 2027. Thereafter, such two members or their successors shall be
appointed for terms of four years in accordance with subsections (b) and (c) of this section,
and any vacancies in the office of such two members shall be filled in accordance with
subsections (b) and (c) of this section and Section 5 of this Act."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective for the purpose of appointing the additional board members
on July 1, 2026, and for all other purposes on January 1, 2027.
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.

House Bill 952 would expand the Bulloch County board of elections and registration from three to five members and change how new members are appointed, including a role for local political parties.

### Plain-language summary

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.

### What it does

- 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.

### Who it affects

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.

### Why it matters

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.

### Key provisions

- 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.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-12)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-12)
- Sponsors: Lehman Franklin, Butch Parrish, Jon Burns
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72177

> The history, votes, and amendments (884 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb952.md?full=1