HB1531: HB1531 Ball Ground, City of; primaries and elections shall be held and conducted in accordance with the Georgia Election Code; revise provisions

This bill amends the 1990 charter for the City of Ball Ground, a small city in Cherokee County. It updates how the city runs its mayoral and city council elections. Section 1 keeps the city's four-year terms for mayor and council but clarifies residency and voter registration requirements for candidates and sitting officials. Section 2 is the main change: it rewrites the charter so that all city primaries and elections must be held and conducted under Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Georgia Code, known as the Georgia Election Code, rather than any separate local election procedures the city previously used. It also specifies that candidates for nonpartisan city offices must file their notice of candidacy during the city's nonpartisan qualifying period, following the same state law process used for nonpartisan municipal offices elsewhere in Georgia. The bill repeals any conflicting laws.

• Requires all City of Ball Ground primaries and elections to be held and conducted under the statewide Georgia Election Code (O.C.G.A. Title 21, Chapter 2) instead of separate local rules.
• Requires candidates for nonpartisan city offices to file a notice of candidacy during the city's nonpartisan qualifying period, using the state process in O.C.G.A. § 21-2-132.
• Revises the charter's residency rule so a person must have lived in the city for 12 months before an election to be eligible to serve as mayor or councilmember.
• Requires councilmembers to remain city residents and stay registered and qualified to vote in city elections throughout their term.
• Repeals any existing city charter provisions or other laws that conflict with these changes.

This bill affects residents, voters, and candidates for mayor and city council in the City of Ball Ground, as well as local election officials who administer city primaries and elections and must now follow the statewide Georgia Election Code.

By tying Ball Ground's elections directly to the statewide Georgia Election Code, the city's election procedures, qualifying periods, and candidate filing rules would match the standard process used across Georgia, reducing the chance of local rules conflicting with state election law.

• Section 1 revises subsection (b) of Section 2.10 of the charter, setting a 12-month residency requirement before an election and requiring councilmembers to stay registered voters in the city during their service.
• Section 2 revises subsection (b) of Section 2.11 to require that all city primaries and elections follow the Georgia Election Code (O.C.G.A. Title 21, Chapter 2) as currently written or later amended.
• Section 2 also requires nonpartisan city office candidates to file their notice of candidacy during the city's nonpartisan qualifying period under O.C.G.A. § 21-2-132.
• Section 3 repeals any other laws or charter provisions that conflict with this Act.

1. 2026-05-11Effective Date 2026-05-11
2. 2026-05-11Act 581
3. 2026-05-11House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-06House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-25Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-25Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-23Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-20House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)Primary sponsor

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 20, 2026

   153 yea, 0 nay (14 not voting, 9 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #734

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 25, 2026

   50 yea, 0 nay (2 not voting, 2 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #799

• local elections
• city charters
• election rules
• Ball Ground
• municipal government