---
title: SB 533. Elections and Primaries; certain nonresident electors to vote in municipal elections of such municipality; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb533
cite_as: SB 533, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb533
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb533.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb533/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73384
date: 2026-02-19
status: introduced
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.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb532.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb534.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb533.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 533
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-02-18
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Carden Summers
- Billy Hickman
- Jason Anavitarte
- Blake Tillery
- Randy Robertson
- Russ Goodman
- Lee Anderson
- Bo Hatchett
- Steve Gooch
- Mike Hodges
- Ricky Williams
- Sam Watson
- Chuck Hufstetler
- Chuck Payne
- Clint Dixon
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB533/2025
upstream_id: 2119518
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- election rules
- municipal elections
- voter eligibility
- property owners
- local government
---
# SB 533. Elections and Primaries; certain nonresident electors to vote in municipal elections of such municipality; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 533
By: Senators Summers of the 13th, Hickman of the 4th, Anavitarte of the 31st, Tillery of the
19th, Robertson of the 29th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions regarding elections and primaries, so as to provide for certain
nonresident electors to vote in municipal elections of such municipality; to provide for a
definition; to provide for the eligibility and manner of voting in municipal elections by
nonresident electors; to provide for procedures for registration and voting by such
nonresident electors; to provide for certain rules and regulations; to provide for related
matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions regarding elections and primaries, is amended by adding a new Code
section to read as follows:
"21-2-20.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term 'nonresident elector' means a person who:
(1) Is a legal resident of the county in which a municipality is located;
(2) Owns a fee simple interest in real property located in whole or in part in such
municipality, but does not reside in such municipality;
(3) Registers to vote in accordance with this Code section with such municipality; and
(4) Is a citizen of the United States.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, upon the passage by the General
Assembly of a local law applicable to a municipality authorizing such voting, such
municipality shall allow nonresident electors to vote in municipal elections of such
municipality in accordance with the provisions of this Code section.
(c) Real property owned by an artificial entity such as a company, firm, partnership,
corporation, limited liability corporation, or other business entity shall not be used to allow
any person to vote in a municipal election.
(d) Not more than two nonresident electors may register to vote in municipal elections
under this Code section per parcel of real property in such municipality. In the event more
than two persons who meet the conditions of eligibility to vote in a municipal election
under this Code section own real property in such municipality, the owners of such real
property shall designate not more than two persons from among their number as the
persons eligible to be nonresident electors in such municipality under the provisions of this
Code section for such parcel of real property. Such designation, when made, shall be
irrevocable so long as the person or persons designated continue to own all or a portion of
such parcel of real property and remain eligible to vote under this Code section. When
registering to vote as a nonresident elector, each such person shall designate the parcel of
real property on which such person is basing such person's eligibility to vote and such
designation shall not be changed so long as such person owns all or a portion of such
property. A person registering to vote under this Code section in a municipality as a
nonresident elector shall provide his or her legal residence address in the county in which
the municipality is located as well as the address or description of the real property within
such municipality owned by the person and on which such person bases his or her
eligibility to vote under this Code section as a nonresident elector.
(e) The municipality shall designate on the electors list of the municipality each person
registering to vote in elections of such municipality under the provisions of this Code
section as a 'NONRESIDENT ELECTOR.'
(f) When a nonresident elector designates the parcel of real property from which such
elector is registering, the municipal registration officials shall use the location of such
property in the municipality for the assignment of the elector to a municipal election
precinct and municipal election district, if any.
(g) A nonresident elector shall be eligible to vote in municipal elections in the municipality
only so long as the nonresident elector continues to meet the conditions of eligibility under
this Code section.
(h) Ballots of nonresident electors shall be processed and tabulated in accordance with
normal procedures for municipal elections as near as practicable.
(i) The State Election Board may provide by rule and regulation for additional procedures
with regard to nonresident electors voting in municipal elections under this Code section."
SECTION 2.
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.
Senate Bill 533 would let people who own property in a Georgia city or town, but live elsewhere in the same county, register and vote in that municipality's elections if the General Assembly passes a separate local law allowing it.
### Plain-language summary
Currently, only residents of a Georgia municipality can vote in that municipality's elections. This bill creates a new category called a 'nonresident elector': someone who lives in the same county as a municipality, owns real property there but does not live inside the municipality's boundaries, registers to vote there, and is a U.S. citizen.
The change would not take effect automatically statewide. A municipality could only allow nonresident electors to vote if the General Assembly separately passes a local law authorizing it for that specific municipality. Property owned by companies or other business entities cannot be used to qualify. No more than two nonresident electors can register per parcel of property, and multiple qualifying co-owners must agree on which two people will vote. Nonresident electors are flagged on voter lists, assigned to a precinct based on their property's location, and their ballots are processed like normal municipal ballots. The State Election Board can adopt additional rules.
### What it does
- Creates a new legal category, 'nonresident elector,' for county residents who own property in a municipality but do not live there.
- Allows a municipality to let such nonresident electors vote in its elections, but only after the General Assembly passes a separate local law authorizing it for that municipality.
- Bars property owned by companies, corporations, LLCs, or other business entities from being used to qualify someone to vote.
- Limits nonresident elector registration to two people per property parcel and requires co-owners to designate which two if more than two qualify.
- Requires municipalities to flag nonresident electors on voter lists and assign them to precincts based on where their property sits.
- Gives the State Election Board authority to write additional rules for how nonresident electors vote in municipal elections.
### Who it affects
Property owners who live in a county but outside a specific municipality's limits, municipal election officials who must register and track these voters, the State Election Board, and the General Assembly, which would need to pass a separate local law for each municipality before this option applies there.
### Why it matters
If enacted and later activated by a local law for a specific city or town, some longtime residents' influence over municipal elections could be shared with outside property owners who don't live there, changing who has a say in local decisions like city taxes and zoning.
### Key provisions
- New Code section 21-2-20(a) defines 'nonresident elector' as a county resident, U.S. citizen, who owns property in but does not live in a municipality and registers there.
- Subsection (b) requires a separate General Assembly local law for any specific municipality before nonresident voting can begin there.
- Subsection (c) excludes property owned by business entities from qualifying anyone to vote.
- Subsection (d) caps nonresident electors at two per property parcel and sets rules for co-owners to designate voters.
- Subsection (e) requires municipalities to label these voters 'NONRESIDENT ELECTOR' on official election lists.
- Subsection (f) ties precinct and district assignment to the location of the owned property.
- Subsection (i) authorizes the State Election Board to issue additional rules and regulations for this voting process.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2026-02-18)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2026-02-19)
- Sponsors: Carden Summers, Billy Hickman, Jason Anavitarte, Blake Tillery, Randy Robertson, Russ Goodman, Lee Anderson, Bo Hatchett, Steve Gooch, Mike Hodges, Ricky Williams, Sam Watson, Chuck Hufstetler, Chuck Payne, Clint Dixon
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73384
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb533.md?full=1