A measure introduced Thursday in the House would shift control of the Fulton County elections board to the county’s Republican-dominated legislative delegation, diminishing the influence of the Democratic-controlled County Commission.
House Bill 347, sponsored by Rep. Lynne Riley, R-Johns Creek, would take away the commission’s power to appoint the board’s next chairman and give it to the county’s legislative delegation — made up of all lawmakers whose districts fall within Fulton.
Through redistricting, the delegation is now controlled by north Fulton Republicans.
The five-member Registration and Elections Board is currently made up of two appointees each from the local Republican and Democratic parties and a chairman named by the commission. The commission recently appointed former City of Atlanta attorney Mary Carole Cooney to replace Roderick Edmond, who resigned and whose term ends later this year.
The county’s elections department has come under heavy scrutiny after errors marred last year’s primary and presidential elections.
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