---
title: O.C.G.A. § 21-2-585. Refusal by superintendent or his or her employee to permit public inspection of documents; removal, destruction, or alteration of documents.
collection: code
id: 21-2-585
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 21-2-585 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/21-2-585
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/21-2-585.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/21-2-585/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t21-(v18)-2023-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=868a5c43_0#page=628
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/21-2.md
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: ELECTIONS / ELECTIONS AND PRIMARIES GENERALLY / MISCELLANEOUS OFFENSES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 21-2-585. Refusal by superintendent or his or her employee to permit public inspection of documents; removal, destruction, or alteration of documents.

(a) Any superintendent or employee of his or her office who willfully refuses to permit the public inspection or copying, in accordance with this chapter, of any general or duplicate return sheet, tally paper, affidavit, petition, certificate, paper, account, contract, report, or any other document or record in his or her custody, or who willfully removes any such document or record from his or her office during said period, or who permits the same to be removed, except pursuant to the direction of any competent authority, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

(b) Any superintendent or employee of his or her office who willfully destroys or alters, or permits to be destroyed or altered, any document described in subsection (a) of this Code section during the period for which the same is required to be kept shall be guilty of a felony.

## History

Code 1933, § 34-1904, enacted by Ga. L. 1964, Ex. Sess., p. 26, § 1; Ga. L. 1998, p. 295, § 1.

## Cross References

Requirement that be open primary and election records to inspection by public, § 21-2-72.