Georgia House passes bill to remove party labels in five metro Atlanta county elections by 2028

Nonpartisan ballots proposed for several local offices in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton

The Georgia House has approved legislation that would require candidates for a range of local offices in five large metro Atlanta counties to run without party labels on the ballot, a change that supporters say would reduce polarization and opponents argue is aimed at reshaping outcomes in the region’s most competitive elections.

The bill, approved by the Republican-led House on Friday, would apply to elections in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Gwinnett and Clayton counties. Under the proposal, party designations would be removed for district attorneys, solicitors-general (lower-level county prosecutors), county commissioners, clerks of court and tax commissioners. Sheriffs in those counties would continue to run in partisan elections.

The measure is scheduled to take effect in 2028, meaning it would not apply to the 2026 election cycle. Georgia already holds nonpartisan elections for certain offices, including many judicial races.

Debate centers on constitutionality, scope and whether the bill is targeted

During legislative debate, backers framed the proposal as a public-safety and governance measure. Senate sponsor John Albers, a Republican from Roswell, argued that removing party labels would encourage voters to focus more on qualifications and performance than partisan identity.

Democratic lawmakers countered that the bill selectively applies only to the state’s population center and political power base, where recent election results have favored Democrats. They described the five-county focus as an attempt to change the rules in jurisdictions where Republicans have struggled to win countywide offices.

District attorneys in the metro area have been at the center of broader partisan conflict at the Capitol in recent years, including repeated legislative attention on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The new bill would place Willis’ office among those affected by a nonpartisan ballot requirement if it becomes law.

Legal questions: county officers vs. constitutional officers

A key unresolved question is whether the General Assembly can impose nonpartisan elections on district attorneys in only certain counties through statute alone. Critics have argued that district attorneys are constitutional officers whose election framework may require a constitutional amendment to modify, rather than a county-by-county statutory change.

The dispute is not only political but structural, touching on how Georgia law distinguishes county offices from state judicial branch offices and how elections for each are set.

What happens next

• The bill has cleared the Georgia House and would need final action to become law.

• Gov. Brian Kemp’s office has not announced whether he would sign the measure.

• If enacted, the nonpartisan format would begin with elections held in 2028 for the covered offices in the five counties.

The proposal is poised to remain a flashpoint as lawmakers debate how local justice and county government should be presented to voters—and whether election rules should be uniform statewide or tailored to specific regions.