Senate panel to consider bill that hands Georgia lawmakers more say over State Election Board
A last-minute House election bill that advanced on Crossover Day last week would give new authority to the House speaker and Senate president to remove State Election Board members during the legislative offseason.
If the Legislature approves the current version of House Bill 397, it would give the two chamber leaders powers to remove members from a board that was at the forefront of controversial election rulemaking in 2024.
However, the architect behind the proposal for removing Georgia election board members, Atlanta Democratic Rep. Saira Draper, said she’s not optimistic that the updated clause will remain in the final election bill expected to be crafted before the session ends April 4.
On Feb. 18, Draper filed House Bill 501, which clarified state law by giving the House and Senate chamber leaders the same post-session authority to remove State Election Board members as they have to fill vacancies on the board.
https://www.wabe.org/senate-panel-to-consider-bill-that-hands-georgia-lawmakers-more-say-over-state-election-board/