Georgia CommonsSearch bills
Words find bills whose text, title, or summary carries them; a bill number such as HB 340 opens that bill. Search matches the words of the bill: ask in the words the bill would use.
40 bills for “Elections and Primaries”.
Elections; limit effective date of rules or regulations adopted by State Election Board prior to a primary, election, or runoff
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 728 would delay any State Election Board rule adopted within 75 days of a Georgia primary, election, or runoff until 30 days after that vote, except for emergency rules meeting strict new notice requirements.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising Code Section 21-2-35, relating …
Elections; dates on which special elections to present questions to the voters can be held; revise provisions
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 481 would expand the dates Georgia counties can hold special elections that ask voters a yes-or-no question, adding state-wide special primaries and special elections to the list of qualifying election days.
… Special elections to present questions to the voters which are to be held in conjunction with the presidential preference primary, a state-wide general primary, <del>or</del …
Elections and Primaries; closed primaries; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would require voters to register their political party affiliation with the Secretary of State before they can vote in that party's primary election, replacing Georgia's current open primary system.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising Code Section 21-2-151, relating …
Ball Ground, City of; primaries and elections shall be held and conducted in accordance with the Georgia Election Code; revise provisions
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 1531 updates the City of Ball Ground's charter to require that its municipal primaries and elections follow the statewide Georgia Election Code, replacing older local rules.
… 4552), as amended, so as to revise provisions relating to elections so as to provide that primaries and elections for the City of Ball Ground shall be held …
Elections and Primaries; nonemergency rules or regulations adopted by the State Election Board within 180 days of an election shall not be effective for such election; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would block the State Election Board and local election officials from making most new election rule changes within 180 days of an election, delaying them until after results are certified.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising Code Section 21-2-35, relating …
Primaries and Elections; use of ballot drop boxes; eliminate authorization
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would end the use of ballot drop boxes statewide and restrict when local sales and use tax questions can appear on special election ballots.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to primaries and elections generally, is amended by repealing subsection (c) of Code Section 21 …
Elections; superintendent may permit any elector of the county to vote in any precinct of the county which such elector chooses under certain conditions; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia House bill would let county election superintendents allow voters to cast ballots at any precinct in their county, rather than only their assigned precinct, if certain safeguards and notice requirements are met.
… In addition, the election superintendent shall advertise the decision in the legal organ of the county once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the primary or election …
Elections; provide by local legislation for nonpartisan elections for county governing authorities; authorize the General Assembly
Summary by Georgia Commons: Senate Bill 15 would let the Georgia General Assembly pass local laws allowing individual counties to hold nonpartisan elections for county commissioners and other county governing authority seats.
… For those offices for which the General Assembly, pursuant to this Code section, provided by local Act for election in nonpartisan primaries and elections, such offices shall no …
Elections and Primaries; Secretary of State to establish a grant program to assist counties with offsetting half of the cost associated with special elections; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would direct the Secretary of State to create a grant program that pays counties back for half the cost of running special elections to fill state or federal offices.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by adding a new Code section to read …
Elections; publication of calls of election on newspaper and government websites; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia House bill would let counties, cities, school systems and the Secretary of State satisfy legal notice requirements for special elections by posting the call on a government website instead of only in a printed newspaper.
… Code Section 21-2-2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to definitions regarding elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising paragraph (3) and adding …
Elections and Primaries; same-day registration and voting; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would let voters register and cast a ballot on the same day, either at their home precinct on election day or at an advance voting site, instead of requiring registration weeks ahead of time.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising subsection (a) of Code Section 21 …
Elections and Primaries; rules or regulations adopted by the State Election Board prior to a general primary, general election, or runoff thereof; limit the effective date
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would delay new State Election Board rules until 30 days after an upcoming election, cut off hand delivery of absentee ballots after advance voting ends, and add new procedures for absentee voting at nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising Code Section 21-2-35, relating …
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
Summary by Georgia Commons: Senate Bill 422 would move most Georgia municipal elections from odd-numbered years to even-numbered years starting after 2026, giving many current city officeholders an extra year in office to make the switch.
… Whenever any political party holds a primary to nominate candidates for public offices to be filled in the ensuing November election, such primary shall be held on the …
Elections and Primaries; permanent absentee voter list; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: Senate Bill 271 would let Georgia voters sign up once to automatically receive absentee ballots for all future regular primaries, elections and runoffs, instead of applying every time.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of …
Elections and Primaries; state-wide uniform system of voting equipment; revise provisions
Summary by Georgia Commons: Senate Bill 303 would shift Georgia's voting equipment decisions from the Secretary of State to the State Election Board and require most ballots to be hand marked and hand counted, with electronic ballot markers reserved for voters with disabilities.
… Furthermore, such primary, special primary, election, or special election shall occur independently and apart from a presidential preference primary, state-wide general primary, state-wide special primary, state …
Elections; SB 189; revise an effective date
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia House bill would push back the effective date of one section of last year's elections law, SB 189, to July 1, 2027, without changing what that section actually requires.
… An Act relating to elections and primaries approved May 6, 2024 (Ga. L. 2024, p. 1028), SB 189, is amended by revising subsection (d) of Section 13 as …
Primaries and Elections; the nonpartisan election for county officers and district attorneys in certain counties; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would require nonpartisan elections for most county offices and certain district attorneys in counties that appoint, rather than elect, a medical examiner instead of a coroner, starting January 1, 2027.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended in Code Section 21-2-9, relating to …
Elections; allow municipalities to opt in to providing advance voting on Saturdays for municipal elections
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate substitute for HB 397 makes wide-ranging changes to state election law, including letting municipalities skip Saturday advance voting in their own elections, restricting hand-delivered absentee ballots, and moving the State Election Board's administrative home to the State Accounting Office.
… Special elections to present questions to the voters which are to be held in conjunction with the presidential preference primary, a state-wide general primary, <del>or</del …
Elections; permanent absentee voter list; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 480 would let Georgia voters check a box on one absentee ballot application to automatically receive absentee ballots for all future regularly scheduled primaries, elections, and runoffs, instead of applying every time.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of …
Elections and Primaries; certain nonresident electors to vote in municipal elections of such municipality; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: 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.
… 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 …
Elections and Primaries; the list of eligible voters is posted and made public prior to each primary or election; require
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Senate committee substitute to SB 568 would rewrite large parts of Georgia's election law, requiring public posting of voter lists, adding fines for registrars who miss removal deadlines, and changing ballot design, recount, and audit rules statewide.
… on the Thursday immediately following the election, special election, election runoff, special election runoff, primary, special primary, primary runoff, or special primary runoff, the additional selected contest shall …
Elections; state-wide uniform system of voting equipment; revise provisions
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 1108 would move control over Georgia's statewide voting system from the Secretary of State to the State Election Board and switch elections to hand marked, hand counted paper ballots, with ballot marking devices kept only for voters who cannot use a hand marked ballot.
… Furthermore, such primary, special primary, election, or special election shall occur independently and apart from a presidential preference primary, state-wide general primary, state-wide special primary, state …
Mitchell County; Board of Commissioners; filling vacancies; revise provisions
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 6 rewrites how Mitchell County fills a vacancy on its Board of Commissioners, setting different rules depending on when in a term the seat opens up.
… election shall be held on the second earliest of the following dates: (A) The date of the presidential preference primary; (B) The date of the general primary; or …
Elections and Primaries; curbside voting for certain voters who because of disability or age cannot enter a polling place or are unable to wait in line to vote; authorize
Summary by Georgia Commons: Senate Bill 377 would let Georgia voters who cannot enter a polling place or wait in line because of disability or age cast a ballot from their car in a designated parking area, starting with a pilot program in the November 2025 election.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by adding a new Code section to read …
Courts; nonpartisan election of magistrates; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 426 changes how Georgia's magistrates and probate judges are elected, moving chief magistrate elections from partisan to nonpartisan ballots and banning local laws that keep partisan magistrate elections.
… For those offices for which the General Assembly, pursuant to this Code section, provided by local Act for election in nonpartisan primaries and elections, such offices shall no …
Elections; the nonpartisan election of district attorneys and solicitors-general of state courts; authorize the General Assembly
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would let the General Assembly authorize, through local acts, nonpartisan elections for district attorneys and state court solicitors-general, offices currently elected in partisan races.
… For those offices for which the General Assembly, pursuant to this Code section, provided by local Act for election in nonpartisan primaries and elections, such offices shall no …
Elections and Primaries; challenge the qualifications of a person applying to register to vote or any person whose name appears on the list of electors; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia Senate bill would tighten the rules for challenging a voter's eligibility, requiring written challenges filed at least 45 days before advance voting starts and limiting allowed grounds to a specific list.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising subsection (a) of Code Section 21 …
Elections; qualifications for and registration of voters; enhance penalties
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia House bill would make violating the state's voter qualification rules a felony, punishable under the same penalty section used for other election crimes.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended in Code Section 21-2-216, relating to …
Gwinnett County; school district ad valorem tax; increase homestead exemption
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 539 would raise the school tax homestead exemption for Gwinnett County homeowners from $4,000 to $10,000, pending voter approval in the 2026 general primary.
… The election superintendent shall conduct that election on the date of the general primary in 2026 and shall issue the call and conduct such election as provided by …
Brantley County; nonbinding advisory referendum for the purpose of ascertaining whether the electors support a perimeter highway bypass around Waycross; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A House bill would let Brantley County voters weigh in on a nonbinding referendum during the 2026 general primary asking whether they support building a perimeter highway bypass around Waycross.
… The nonbinding advisory referendum election shall be held on the date of the 2026 general primary, and the election superintendent shall issue the call and conduct that election …
Elections; superintendents post notices whenever their offices are closed due to a declared state of emergency; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia House bill would require local election superintendents to publicly post notice whenever their office closes because of a declared state of emergency, including when it will reopen.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by adding a new Code section to read …
Motor vehicles; sale of food or beverages; provide vehicle equipment standards
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 369 would require certain county offices and some district attorney races to be elected on a nonpartisan basis in counties that have abolished the elected coroner position, starting January 1, 2028.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended in by revising paragraph (2) of subsection (c …
Elections and Primaries; electors to cast physical absentee on-request ballots as an alternative to using other authorized means of casting in-person votes; authorize
Summary by Georgia Commons: A House substitute to SB 214 would overhaul Georgia's voting equipment law, requiring the state to supply new equipment by 2027 that could include hand-marked paper ballots and ballot-on-demand printers, while also changing recount thresholds and line-skipping rules for parents with young children and elderly or disabled voters.
… Furthermore, such primary, special primary, election, or special election shall occur independently and apart from a presidential preference primary, state-wide general primary, state-wide special primary, state …
Elections; add caregivers to list of persons who may make absentee ballot applications for certain electors
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 633 would let a caregiver submit an absentee ballot application on behalf of an out-of-county or physically disabled Georgia voter, adding to the list of relatives already allowed to do so.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended in Code Section 21-2-381, relating to …
Elections; preferential treatment during advance voting and during certain hours on election day to certain voters; provisions
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia House bill would let blind, deaf, amputee, pregnant voters, and those accompanied by young children or children with special needs skip to the front of voting lines, joining voters 75 and older who already have that right.
… A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to primaries and elections generally, so …
Elections; motor-voter applications shall be opt-in instead of opt-out; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 1467 would change Georgia's motor-voter system from automatic opt-out registration to opt-in, meaning people applying for or renewing a driver's license would have to actively sign up to register to vote rather than being registered by default.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by revising subsection (a) of Code Section 21 …
Elections; preferential treatment during advance voting for voters accompanied by children two years of age or younger; provide
Summary by Georgia Commons: A Georgia House bill would let voters accompanied by a child age two or younger skip to the front of the line during advance voting and on election day, the same head-of-line privilege currently given to voters 75 and older or disabled voters.
… A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, so …
Elections; authorize local election superintendents to conduct manual recounts of ballots following the computation, canvassing, and tabulation of returns
Summary by Georgia Commons: A House substitute would let county and municipal election superintendents in Georgia hand count ballots in one race after official results are tabulated, as an unofficial check that must stop if it interferes with other election duties.
… A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, so …
Colquitt County; ad valorem tax for county purposes; provide homestead exemption
Summary by Georgia Commons: House Bill 28 would create a $10,000 homestead exemption from Colquitt County's ad valorem taxes for county purposes, pending voter approval in the 2026 general primary.
… The election superintendent shall conduct that election on the date of the general primary in 2026 and shall issue the call and conduct that election as provided by …
Election Equipment Specifications and Standards Committee; establish
Summary by Georgia Commons: Senate Bill 3 creates a new legislative committee to design a replacement statewide election equipment system based on hand marked paper ballots, strips the current Secretary of State of authority over selecting that system, and adds new rules for automatic recounts and election audits.
… Chapter 2 of Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to elections and primaries generally, is amended by adding a new Code section to read …