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Cusseta‑Chattahoochee commission approves charter amendment to create three‑member Board of Elections
Summary
The commission approved a second‑reading ordinance adding a three‑member Board of Elections and Registration to the county charter; the ordinance sets staggered terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025 and authorizes an elections supervisor to administer voter registration and election operations.
The Cusseta‑Chattahoochee County Commission on Nov. 12 approved the second reading of a home‑rule ordinance to amend the county charter and create a three‑member Board of Elections and Registration, the minutes show.
The ordinance text attached to the meeting packet says the new board will assume duties now performed by the probate court’s election superintendent and by the board of registrars beginning Jan. 1, 2025, in keeping with O.C.G.A. § 21‑2‑40.1. The ordinance calls for three appointed members who must be county electors, with staggered initial terms and four‑year subsequent terms. Appointment certificates are to be filed with the clerk of the superior court and the Georgia Secretary of State, the language says.
Commissioner Jason Frost moved to approve the ordinance on second reading; Commissioner Gerald Douglas seconded the motion and the minutes record a unanimous vote. The ordinance text (Exhibit A in the packet) also outlines administrative details: the board will elect an annual chair, adopt bylaws and rules of procedure, hold monthly meetings subject to Georgia open‑meetings and records law, and maintain a public written record of policy decisions.
The ordinance requires the new board to recommend one to three candidates for an elections supervisor to the county manager; the manager will hire the supervisor from among those recommended or may hire another qualified candidate. The elections supervisor and any staff will be considered county employees for pay, benefits and personnel policy purposes, and remain subject to evaluation and corrective action by the county manager, under the ordinance language.
The ordinance also authorizes the board, with Board of Commissioners consent, to expend public funds for nonpartisan voter education and requires that distributed materials contain no commentary or advocacy.
Why it matters: State law directed counties where probate judges serve as election superintendents to create local election boards by mid‑December 2024. The charter amendment establishes the local structure and administrative roles the county will use to manage registration and elections beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
Next steps: The minutes show the commission scheduled the ordinance matter in its packet and recorded approval; according to the ordinance text, appointments and administrative steps must be completed so the new board and supervisor can assume responsibilities on Jan. 1, 2025.
