Q: I noticed that Emma Darnell is running for re-election against the former Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards in District 6. I thought that Fulton County’s commission districts were elected in even years without a presidential election. Why is there an election?
—Robert Nader, Sandy Springs
A: The Fulton County Commission election schedule was changed in 2013, when the General Assembly approved House Bill 171.
The legislation also redrew Fulton County district boundaries.
The commissioners of Districts 2, 4, and 6 were elected for two years in 2014 and those seats are up for election again this year.
The winners of this year’s elections will serve four-year terms.
Commissioners from the other districts (1, 3, 5 and 7) who were elected in 2014 are serving four-year terms.
Darnell defeated Edwards for the two-year term in 2014.
Bob Ellis (District 2) and Joan Garner (District 4) are running unopposed.
Q: I found the discussion of how we elect the president in a recent issue of Parade exceedingly interesting, which led me to wonder: How do we determine the members of the Electoral College in Georgia?
—F.L. Ross, Atlanta
A: The political parties in Georgia select the members of the Electoral College, Alan Abramowitz, a political science professor at Emory University, told Q&A on the News in an email.
Those chosen to be a part of the Electoral College often are selected for their “service and dedication to their political party,” the Office of the Federal Register states at archives.gov.
Andy Johnston with Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; AJC staff writer David Wickert contributed. Do you have a question? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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