GOP seeks new path in metro Atlanta by dropping party labels
Georgia Republicans swiftly approved a sweeping elections overhaul Friday that would make most local races in five core metro Atlanta counties nonpartisan — a dramatic shift that could complicate Democratic efforts to hold onto power in the state’s most populous and most liberal region.
The measure, which cleared the House 93-64 over fierce Democratic opposition, would apply to district attorneys, county commissioners and tax commissioners in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties starting in 2028. It is now headed to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk after earlier passing the Senate.
Republicans cast the change as a way to depoliticize local offices. But Democrats see a far different motive: a GOP effort to claw back influence in deep-blue areas and a way to blunt the rise of high-profile Democratic prosecutors like Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
“I’m really just shocked at what Republicans and what the majority party just did,” said state Rep. Sam Park, one of the House’s top Democrats. “It’s likely unconstitutional. I think it’s very clearly beneath the dignity of this House.”
The stakes are especially high for district attorney races. In metro Atlanta’s core counties, all five top prosecutors are Black Democratic women — a shift that critics say makes the legislation both politically and symbolically charged.
Willis, a central target of GOP attacks over her failed prosecution of President Donald Trump, blasted the measure as “racist, sexist and clearly unconstitutional.”
And many Democrats see it as an effort to curb more liberal prosecutors who have embraced restorative justice policies, including steering nonviolent offenders away from prison sentences or taking more lax approaches to drug offenses.
“It’s a step way too far,” said Democratic state Rep. Stacey Evans, who has represented parts of Cobb and Fulton counties in two different legislative stints. “This isn’t for policy but politics. It’s pure politics.”
DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston urged Kemp to veto the “unconstitutional legislation,” saying she and other opponents are preparing a legal challenge if he signs it.
“This bill is a blatant attempt to steal power from democratically elected Black leaders in metro Atlanta,” she said. “It is shameful that during the current affordability crisis, Republicans at the Capitol would choose to advance partisan legislation that degrades voting rights and will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend.”
The bill started as a measure to regulate food trucks but was transformed into an elections measure this week.
An earlier version that would have targeted only district attorneys failed in the Senate, but GOP sponsors broadened it to include other offices. Sheriffs are exempted from the bill, as is the DeKalb County Commission.
Republicans defended the measure as a way to hold prosecutors more accountable. State Rep. Trey Kelley, R-Cedartown, said it would help voters “rid themselves of district attorneys who are more concerned with playing political games than justice.” And House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration said the measure is meant to strip politics from lower-profile county offices.
“There isn’t a Republican line and a Democrat line when entering the courthouse. All citizens should be treated the same as they seek out services from local governments,” he said.
Correction
This article has been updated with the correct spelling of Rep. Trey Kelley's name.
About the Authors
Greg Bluestein is the Atlanta Journal Constitution's chief political reporter. He is also an author, TV analyst and co-host of the Politically Georgia podcast.
Riley Bunch is a reporter on the local government team at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering Atlanta City Hall. She covers the mayor and Atlanta City Council while also keeping an eye on the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
