Local Leaders Call Georgia’s New Nonpartisan Election Law Racist

Critics argue House Bill 369 unfairly targets predominantly Black, Democratic-leaning counties and could disenfranchise voters

A newly signed Georgia law that will make several local elections nonpartisan in five Metro Atlanta counties is drawing fierce criticism from local leaders, voting rights advocates, and elected officials who argue the legislation disproportionately impacts Black voters and Democratic strongholds.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed House Bill 369 into law May 12, setting the stage for major changes to local elections beginning in 2028, reports CBS News. Under the law, candidates for offices, including district attorney, county commissioner, sheriff, clerk of court, probate judge, and tax commissioner in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties, will no longer appear on ballots with Democratic or Republican party labels.

Supporters of the legislation say the measure encourages voters to focus on candidates’ qualifications and performance instead of party affiliation. But opponents say the law selectively targets heavily Democratic and predominantly Black counties.

“These are counties that have historically been Democratic. These are counties that are predominantly African American,” Mary-Pat Hector, a DeKalb County voter and the CEO of RISE, a nonprofit that promotes youth advocacy, told CBS News. “This contributes to a more concerted effort to suppress Black voters.”

Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid publicly opposed the measure, while labor leader Sandra Lee Williams called the bill “an effort to suppress the vote.”

Political experts say removing party identifiers could create confusion for voters, particularly in local races that receive limited media coverage.

“Those parties are important in structuring political competition,” Emory University political science professor Zachary Peskowitz told CBS News. “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.”

Meanwhile, DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson questioned why the law only applies to five specific counties. “If fairness and election integrity are truly the goal, why does this bill target five counties and not all 159 across the entire state of Georgia?”

Critics have also noted that many of the offices potentially impacted by the legislation are currently held by Black women, fueling concerns about racial and political motivations behind the bill. “It is definitely, definitely racism at its fullest,” one local leader told the news outlet.

The law is set to take effect in 2028, but local officials are signaling plans to take legal action against the legislation.