Bill > HB852

This bill reconstitutes and reestablishes the Athens-Clarke County Board of Elections and Registration, effective July 1, 2025, with a comprehensive restructuring of its composition, powers, and operations. The board will consist of five members: two appointed from each of the two major political parties based on their performance in the last General Assembly election, and one nonpartisan member, all of whom must be electors and residents of Clarke County. Members will serve two-year terms (with initial members serving one-year terms) and can be removed for cause, and they are ineligible to hold elective public office during their tenure. The board will have full powers of both election superintendents and voter registrars, including conducting elections, registering voters, managing absentee ballots, preparing polling places, counting ballots, and training poll workers. A supervisor of elections, appointed by the county manager, will serve as the board's chief executive officer but will not be a board member. The county governing authority will provide funding, offices, and administrative support for the board, and the board is authorized to distribute election information to voters, contract with municipal corporations for election services, and establish its own procedural rules, all while ensuring transparency and compliance with state law.

Government Affairs

https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71654