SB 510: Board of Education of Cobb County; future elections for members of the board of education shall be nonpartisan; provide

Members of the Cobb County Board of Education are currently elected in partisan elections, where candidates run under a political party. This bill would change that by amending the 1974 local act that governs how the board is elected. Starting with board elections held after January 1, 2028, candidates would run without party labels, following the nonpartisan election rules set out in Georgia's election code (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139). The bill specifically protects current board members and anyone elected before January 1, 2028: their terms would not be cut short, and they could still run for re-election under the existing rules. The bill also repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.

• Adds a new subsection to the 1974 act governing Cobb County school board elections requiring those elections to become nonpartisan.
• Applies the nonpartisan election requirement only to board elections held after January 1, 2028.
• Ties the nonpartisan process to the procedure in Georgia's election code (O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139) for nonpartisan elections.
• Preserves the current terms of sitting board members and members elected before January 1, 2028, letting them serve out their terms and run again.
• Repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change.

Cobb County residents who vote in school board elections, current and future candidates for the Cobb County Board of Education, and the current members of the board whose existing terms and eligibility to run again are explicitly protected by the bill.

Voters in Cobb County would choose school board members without seeing a party label on the ballot starting in 2028, changing how candidates campaign and how voters identify them. Current board members would not lose their seats or be barred from running again under the new system.

• Section 1 adds subsection (c.1) to Section 2 of the 1974 Cobb County school board election act.
• The new subsection requires elections held after January 1, 2028 to follow Georgia's general election code (O.C.G.A. Title 21, Chapter 2) and be nonpartisan under O.C.G.A. § 21-2-139.
• The subsection explicitly protects members currently in office or elected before January 1, 2028, letting them finish their terms and remain eligible for re-election.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision common to Georgia local acts.

1. 2026-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senado)
2. 2026-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senado)
3. 2026-02-24Senate Withdrawn & Recommitted (Senado)
4. 2026-02-17Senate Read and Referred (Senado)
5. 2026-02-12Senate Hopper (Senado)

• Ed Setzler (R, SD-037)Patrocinador principal
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Kay Kirkpatrick (R, SD-032)

1. AprobadaVotación: Senado24 de febrero de 2026

   30 a favor, 19 en contra (4 sin votar, 2 ausentes)

   Motion To Withdraw And Commit: Senate Vote #569

• Cobb County schools
• school board elections
• nonpartisan elections
• election rules
• local government