Cobb County elections staff praised in public comment as board appoints interim director

The Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration unanimously appointed Michael as interim elections director after public commenters and advocacy groups praised the elections office’s continuity and responsiveness.

Public commenters at the board’s first meeting of 2026 urged the board to retain office leadership through a staffing transition. Andy Kingery of Cobb County said Michael ‘‘stepped in and they didn't lose a beat’’ and recommended him for the director role. Garland Favarito and Tamara Favarito of VoterGA commended staff—naming Michael and Debbie—for their assistance with open-records requests and ballot-scanning work. Beth Hendricks, a longtime vote-protection volunteer, thanked staff and poll workers for handling multiple, back-to-back elections and said continuity in leadership would be important going forward.

Board Chair and staff then followed the board’s bylaws to make a formal interim appointment. Under the bylaws, Michael had been serving as acting director following the former director’s resignation; the board moved to appoint him interim director and the motion passed unanimously.

The board also discussed the ongoing search for a permanent director. Stacy, who is managing the hiring logistics, said the county HR policy allows the vacancy posting to run three weeks; HR will screen applicants for minimum qualifications, and the board will review qualified candidates in executive session. Debbie and Stacy will conduct initial phone interviews before the board selects finalists for in-person interviews.

The appointment takes effect immediately as the board pursues a permanent hire, and the search timeline was extended to maximize applicant exposure across election professional channels.