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Chattahoochee County sets qualifying fees and dates for 2026 local elections
Summary
At a Jan. 26 called meeting, Chattahoochee County’s commission set county qualifying fees required by state law: $362 for County Commissioner and $72 for County Board of Education seats, and established qualifying dates March 2–6, 2026.
At a called meeting Jan. 26 to set qualifying fees required by state law, the Chattahoochee County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to set the 2026 qualifying fees at $362 for county commission candidates and $72 for county board of education candidates.
The motion to approve the fees was made by Commissioner Jason Frost and seconded by Vice Chairman Timothy Biddle. The commission also established qualifying dates for the 2026 local elections: qualifying opens Monday, March 2 at 9 a.m. and closes Friday, March 6 at noon.
Authority: The minutes cite O.C.G.A. § 21-2-131, which requires counties to fix and publish qualifying fees no later than Feb. 1 in a year when primaries or elections are scheduled.
Why it matters: Setting qualifying fees and dates is a ministerial but legally required step to start the candidate filing process. The minutes instruct the county clerk to publish the fees in accordance with state statute.
Next steps: County Clerk Lisa Bickel was authorized to publish the qualifying fee schedule by Feb. 1, 2026, and the county will accept candidate qualifying submissions March 2–6, 2026, during the hours specified in the minutes.
