SB422: SB422 Elections and Primaries; the date of most municipal elections shall be in even-numbered years; a one-year extension to the terms of office of most municipal officers; provide

Right now, most Georgia city elections happen in odd-numbered years. This bill would change that so general municipal elections held after December 31, 2026 take place in even-numbered years instead, aligning many local elections with the cycle used for state and federal races. To manage the transition, any municipal officer in office on December 31, 2026 would get their term extended by one extra year, so cities do not end up with a gap or overlap in leadership. That extension would not apply to officers elected to two-year terms in municipalities that already use staggered terms under a specific local-law provision (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-541.2). The bill also updates the municipal primary schedule and adjusts the local-law authority that lets the General Assembly set custom municipal election rules for individual cities, so those provisions also point to even-numbered rather than odd-numbered years.

• Shifts most general municipal elections in Georgia from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years for elections held after December 31, 2026.
• Extends the terms of most sitting municipal officers by one year to bridge the transition to the new even-year election schedule.
• Exempts officers elected to two-year terms in municipalities with staggered terms under O.C.G.A. § 21-2-541.2 from that one-year extension.
• Keeps municipal party primaries on the third Tuesday in July in odd-numbered years, even as the general election date moves to even years.
• Rewrites the local-law authority in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-541.2 so its references to election timing point to odd- and even-numbered years to match the new schedule.

City council members, mayors, and other municipal officers across Georgia; municipal governing authorities and election officials who set and publish election notices; the Secretary of State's office, which receives copies of those notices; and local voters whose city election dates and candidate terms would shift.

Georgians in most cities would start voting for local officials in the same years as major state and federal elections rather than in separate off-years, which could change voter turnout patterns and campaign timing. Many current officeholders would serve an extra year before facing reelection under the new schedule.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 21-2-9(c) so general municipal elections held after December 31, 2026 occur on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years instead of odd-numbered years.
• Section 1 also grants a one-year extension to municipal officers in office on December 31, 2026, except those elected to two-year terms under the staggered-term local-law option in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-541.2.
• Section 1 requires public notice of municipal elections in a local newspaper at least 30 days beforehand and a copy sent to the Secretary of State.
• Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-150 to keep municipal party primaries on the third Tuesday in July in odd-numbered years.
• Section 3 revises O.C.G.A. § 21-2-541.2, the local-law provision letting the General Assembly customize a city's terms and election timing, to reflect the shift to even-numbered election years.
• Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-02-04Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
2. 2026-02-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
3. 2026-01-28Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
4. 2026-01-27Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)Primary sponsor
• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Billy Hickman (R, SD-004)
• Marty Harbin (R, SD-016)
• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)
• Matt Brass (R, SD-006)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)

• municipal elections
• election dates
• local government terms
• Georgia election law