---
title: SB 469. Board of Commissioners of Forsyth County; term limits for members; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb469
cite_as: SB 469, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb469
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb469.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb469/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72944
date: 2026-05-11
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: 1129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb469.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 469
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-11
last_action: Effective Date 2026-05-11
sponsors:
  - Shawn Still
  - Greg Dolezal
  - Brent Cox
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB469/2025
upstream_id: 2110022
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
  - term limits
  - Forsyth County government
  - local referendum
  - county commissioners
  - election law
---

# SB 469. Board of Commissioners of Forsyth County; term limits for members; provide

## Text

Senate Bill 469
By: Senators Still of the 48th and Dolezal of the 27th
AS PASSED
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend an Act creating a board of commissioners of Forsyth County, approved
June 30, 1964 (Ga. L. 1964 Ex. Sess., p. 2225), as amended, so as to provide for term limits;
to provide for a referendum, effective dates, automatic repeal, mandatory execution of
election, and judicial remedies regarding failure to comply; to provide for related matters;
to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
An Act creating a board of commissioners of Forsyth County, approved June 30, 1964
(Ga. L. 1964 Ex. Sess., p. 2225), as amended, particularly by an Act approved
February 17, 2022 (Ga. L. 2022, p. 4666), is amended by adding a new section to read as
follows:
"SECTION 2.1.
No person elected to the board of commissioners after January 1, 2027, who has been
elected to and served two full terms of office as a commissioner shall be eligible for
election to a successive term of office as a commissioner until after the expiration of four
years from the conclusion of his or her last term as a member of the board of
commissioners. Any terms served, fully or in part, prior to the effective date of this section
shall apply to the term limit provided for in this section."
SECTION 2.
The election superintendent of Forsyth County shall call and conduct an election as provided
in this section for the purpose of submitting this Act to the electors of Forsyth County for
approval or rejection. The election superintendent shall conduct that election on Tuesday
following the first Monday in November, 2026 and shall issue the call and conduct that
election as provided by general law. The election superintendent shall cause the date and
purpose of the election to be published once a week for two weeks immediately preceding
the date thereof in the official organ of Forsyth County. The ballot shall have written or
printed thereon the words:
"( ) YES Shall the Act be approved which provides a term limit of two consecutive
( ) NO terms upon the members of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners?"
All persons desiring to vote for approval of the Act shall vote "Yes," and all persons desiring
to vote for rejection of the Act shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on
such question are for approval of the Act, Section 1 of this Act shall become of full force and
effect on January 1, 2027. If the Act is not so approved or if the election is not conducted
as provided in this section, Section 1 of this Act shall not become effective, and this Act shall
be automatically repealed on the 365th calendar day following the election date provided for
in this section. The expense of such election shall be borne by Forsyth County. It shall be
the election superintendent's duty to certify the result thereof to the Secretary of State. The
provisions of this section shall be mandatory upon the election superintendent and are not
intended as directory. If the election superintendent fails or refuses to comply with this
section, any elector of Forsyth County may apply for a writ of mandamus to compel the
election superintendent to perform his or her duties under this section. If the court finds that
the election superintendent has not complied with this section, the court shall fashion
appropriate relief requiring the election superintendent to call and conduct such election on
the date required by this section or on the next date authorized for special elections provided
for in Code Section 21-2-540 of the O.C.G.A.
SECTION 3.
Except as otherwise provided in Section 2 of this Act, this Act shall become effective upon
its approval by the Governor or upon its becoming law without such approval.
SECTION 4.
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.

A Senate bill would impose a two-term limit on Forsyth County commissioners, but only if voters approve it in a November 2026 referendum, with commissioners barred from running again until four years after finishing a second full term.

### Plain-language summary

Currently, members of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners can run for reelection indefinitely, with no limit on how many terms they serve. This bill would change that, but only if voters agree.
The bill adds a new section to the county's governing law saying that anyone elected to the board after January 1, 2027 who has served two full terms cannot run again until four years have passed since their last term ended. Terms already served before the law takes effect count toward this two-term limit. Before this can take effect, Forsyth County must hold a referendum on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2026, asking voters to approve or reject the term limit. If a majority vote yes, the change takes effect January 1, 2027. If voters reject it or the election is not properly held, the entire bill is automatically repealed 365 days after the election date.

### What it does

- Adds a rule barring Forsyth County commissioners elected after January 1, 2027 from running for a third consecutive term until four years after their second term ends.
- Counts terms served before the law's effective date toward the two-term limit.
- Requires the Forsyth County election superintendent to hold a referendum on November 3, 2026 asking voters to approve or reject the term limit.
- Makes the term limit take effect January 1, 2027 only if a majority of voters approve it in the referendum.
- Automatically repeals the entire Act 365 days after the election if voters reject it or the election is not properly conducted.
- Allows any Forsyth County voter to seek a court order (a writ of mandamus, a legal command to a public official) forcing the election superintendent to hold the vote if they fail to do so.

### Who it affects

Current and future members of the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners, who would face a term limit if voters approve it; Forsyth County voters, who must decide the issue in a 2026 referendum; and the Forsyth County election superintendent, who is required to organize and certify the vote.

### Why it matters

If approved, Forsyth County commissioners would no longer be able to serve indefinitely, changing who can run for local office and how long incumbents can stay in power. The outcome depends entirely on the November 2026 referendum, so no change happens unless voters say yes.

### Key provisions

- Section 1 adds Section 2.1 to the 1964 Forsyth County commissioners Act, setting a two-term limit with a four-year waiting period before running again.
- Section 1 specifies that terms served before the law's effective date count toward the two-term limit.
- Section 2 requires a referendum on November 3, 2026, with the ballot language asking voters to approve or reject the two-term limit.
- Section 2 states the term limit becomes effective January 1, 2027 only if a majority of votes cast favor approval.
- Section 2 provides that the entire Act is automatically repealed 365 days after the election if voters reject it or the election is not held as required.
- Section 2 allows a Forsyth County voter to seek a court order compelling the election superintendent to conduct the referendum if they fail to do so.
- Section 3 makes the rest of the Act effective upon the Governor's approval or upon becoming law without approval.

## Status

- Status: Passed (2026-05-11)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-05-11 (2026-05-11)
- Sponsors: Shawn Still, Greg Dolezal, Brent Cox
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/72944

> The history, votes, and amendments (1,129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb469.md?full=1