Henry County tables ordinance change on election supervisor reporting after joint meeting with elections board

Henry County commissioners and the Henry County Board of Elections and Voter Registration met in a joint session on Monday to discuss proposed changes to a county ordinance that would alter who appoints and to whom the county's election supervisor reports. After questions and requests from members of the elections board and several county commissioners, the group agreed to collaborate on revised language and table the amendment for further drafting and publication.

The matter drew its legal framing from County Attorney Serena Noel, who told both bodies that "the Georgia Constitution provides the manner in which counties can exercise what's called home rule authority" and that the county relied on Article IX, Section 2, paragraph 1(b) when amending local acts incorporated into the Henry County Code of Ordinances. Noel also noted specific ordinance sections referenced by the elections board during the meeting (for example, sections identified in the record as 3-2-57.14 and 3-2-57.15).

The elections board, led by Deidre Collins, chair of the Henry County Board of Elections and Voter Registration, said members sought a clearer role in hiring and removing the election supervisor. "We want to work together and not separately," Collins said, describing a signed resolution the elections board prepared after reviewing reporting models used by other Georgia counties. Vice Chair Omega Finney and other board members said the board's intent was to secure transparency and impartiality, not to operate as a separate or rogue entity.

Commis…