HB1557: HB1557 Fayette County; board of elections; revise composition

Fayette County's board of elections currently operates under a 1994 state law that set its composition and appointment process. This bill rewrites Section 2 of that law to restructure the board. Under the new version, the board would have five members instead of the current structure. Four members would be appointed by the Fayette County governing authority from nominee lists submitted by the two political parties that received the most votes in the last general election for General Assembly seats, two nominees from each party's chairperson. The fifth member would be appointed directly by the county governing authority without a party nomination. Current board members would finish out the terms they were already appointed to. The newly created fourth and fifth board seats would be filled initially through the party nomination process, with one nominee from each of the two parties, and those initial appointees would serve terms ending January 31, 2028. The law would take effect as soon as the Governor signs it or it otherwise becomes law without his signature.

• Expands the Fayette County board of elections to five members, changing its structure under the 1994 local law that created the board.
• Requires four of the five members to be appointed by the county governing authority from nominee lists submitted by the two leading political parties, two nominees each.
• Allows the fifth member to be appointed by the county governing authority without going through the party nomination process.
• Lets board members currently serving finish out the terms to which they were already appointed rather than being replaced immediately.
• Sets initial terms for the newly created fourth and fifth board seats to end on January 31, 2028, with one of those seats nominated by each of the two leading parties.

Members of the Fayette County board of elections, the Fayette County governing authority (county commission), the county executive committees and chairpersons of the two leading political parties, and the clerk of the superior court, who receives certification of appointments.

The change alters who gets a say in choosing Fayette County's election administrators, adding a fifth board seat and reshaping the party nomination process. Voters in Fayette County would be affected indirectly through how their elections are run and overseen.

• Section 1 revises Section 2 of the 1994 Fayette County elections board law, setting the board at five members, each at least 21 and a Fayette County elector.
• Subsection (b) requires four members to be appointed by the county governing authority from nominee lists provided by the top two political parties, two nominees each, following a certification process with deadlines of at least 40 days before a term begins.
• Subsection (c) allows the county governing authority to appoint the fifth member without a party nomination, with certification to the clerk of superior court at least 20 days before the member takes office.
• Subsection (e) lets board members serving on the effective date finish their current terms.
• Subsection (f) sets the initial fourth and fifth members' terms to end January 31, 2028, with one nominated by each of the two leading parties.
• Section 2 makes the Act effective upon the Governor's approval or upon it otherwise becoming law without his signature.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2026-05-12Effective Date 2026-05-12
2. 2026-05-12Act 679
3. 2026-05-12House Date Signed by Governor (House)
4. 2026-04-07House Sent to Governor (House)
5. 2026-03-31Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
6. 2026-03-31Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
7. 2026-03-25Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
8. 2026-03-23House Passed/Adopted (House)

• Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)Primary sponsor
• Josh Bonner (R, HD-073)
• Debra Bazemore (D, HD-069)
• Derrick Jackson (D, HD-068)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 23, 2026

   158 yea, 0 nay (12 not voting, 6 absent)

   Local Calendar : House Vote #739

2. PassedSenate voteMarch 31, 2026

   45 yea, 0 nay (5 not voting, 4 absent)

   Local Consent Calendar: Senate Vote #873

• Fayette County
• election administration
• local government
• board of elections appointments