HB1359: HB1359 Brooks County; board of elections and registration; expand to five members

Brooks County's board of elections and registration currently operates under a 2011 state law. House Bill 1359 amends that law to increase the board to five members starting January 1, 2027, with three members needed for a quorum (the minimum number present to conduct business). Current members serving now would have their terms end on December 31, 2026. Under the new appointment process, each of the five members of the Brooks County Board of Commissioners would appoint one board member, subject to majority approval by the full commission. Initial appointees would serve staggered terms, two ending in 2029 and three ending in 2031, after which all terms would run four years. The bill also updates how vacancies are filled and confirms that the elections supervisor and any employees hired under that supervisor remain subject to hiring, discipline, and firing by the board of elections or the supervisor, as applicable.

• Expands the Brooks County Board of Elections and Registration from its current membership to five members effective January 1, 2027.
• Sets three members as the quorum needed for the board to conduct official business.
• Changes the appointment method so each of the five Brooks County commissioners appoints one board member, subject to majority approval by the full board of commissioners.
• Establishes staggered initial terms, two members serving until December 31, 2029 and three until December 31, 2031, with four-year terms afterward.
• Updates the vacancy-filling process so a successor is appointed the same way the vacating member was appointed, for the rest of the unexpired term.
• Confirms the elections supervisor is subject to hiring, evaluation, and termination by the board, while supervisor-hired employees are subject to the same by the supervisor.

Brooks County voters, the Brooks County Board of Commissioners, current and future members of the Brooks County Board of Elections and Registration, the county's elections supervisor, and any employees or poll workers hired to help run local elections.

The changes would give each Brooks County commissioner direct say in appointing one election board member and add two more seats to the board, potentially broadening representation on decisions about how local elections are run. Current board members' terms would end at the close of 2026 regardless of when they began.

• Section 1 revises Section 3 of the 2011 Act, expanding the board to five members as of January 1, 2027, setting a three-member quorum, and giving each commissioner one appointment subject to board approval.
• Section 1 also sets staggered initial terms (two ending 2029, three ending 2031) before all future terms become four years long.
• Section 2 revises Section 6 to require that a vacancy be filled using the same appointment method as the departing member, with the clerk of superior court notified and certifying the appointment.
• Section 3 revises Sections 11 and 12 to keep the elections supervisor subject to hiring, evaluation, and termination by the board, and supervisor-hired employees subject to the same by the supervisor.
• Section 4 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 650
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-06Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-06Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-03Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-02-26House Passed/Adopted (House)

• John LaHood (R, HD-175)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteFebruary 26, 2026

   158 yea, 0 nay (16 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #569

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

   49 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 3 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #639

• local elections
• Brooks County
• election administration
• county government
• voting boards