Kemp signs bill making some Metro Atlanta offices nonpartisan

Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill this week that would make some elected offices nonpartisan in Metro Atlanta counties.

House Bill 369 was reengineered to change elected offices in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties to be nonpartisan. This means when voters go to the polls starting in 2028, candidates for district attorney, county commissions, and other elected offices will not have Democrat or Republican by their names.

Calls from both sides of the aisle requested that Kemp veto the bill saying that it would make elections more confusing for voters.

Emory University political science professor Zachary Peskowitz said many voters cast their ballots for a specific party.

“Those parties are important in structuring political competition. They provide a lot of information to voters about what candidates stand for, particularly in these local, county elections, where there’s not a lot of media coverage. Voters aren’t always super knowledgeable about the particular candidate’s experience and qualifications and issue positions and the like,” Peskowitz said.

Mary-Pat Hector, a DeKalb County voter and the CEO of the nonprofit RISE, said the law would have included all Georgia counties if the creators believed it was good policy.

“These are counties that have historically been democratic. These are counties that are predominantly African American. And this contributes to a more concerted effort to suppress black voters,” she said.