Georgia Code
Article 8 - Voting by Ballot
§ 21-2-285.1. Nonpartisan Elections — Form of Ballot; Run-Off Election; Declaration of Prevailing Candidate as Duly Elected

The names of all candidates for offices which the General Assembly has by general law or local Act provided for election in a nonpartisan election shall be printed on each official primary ballot; and insofar as practicable such offices to be filled in the nonpartisan election shall be separated from the names of candidates for party nomination to other offices by being listed last on each ballot, with the top of that portion of each official primary ballot relating to the nonpartisan election to have printed in prominent type the words “OFFICIAL NONPARTISAN ELECTION BALLOT.” In addition, there shall be a ballot that contains just the official nonpartisan election ballot available for electors who choose not to vote in a party primary. Such ballot shall have printed at the top the name and designation of the precinct. Directions that explain how to cast a vote, how to write in a candidate, and how to obtain a new ballot after the elector spoils his or her ballot shall appear immediately under the caption, as specified by rule or regulation of the State Election Board. Immediately under the directions, the name of each such nonpartisan candidate shall be arranged alphabetically by last name under the title of the office for which they are candidates and be printed thereunder. The incumbency of a candidate seeking election for the public office he or she then holds shall be indicated on the ballot. No party designation or affiliation shall appear beside the name of any candidate for nonpartisan office. An appropriate space shall also be placed on the ballot for the casting of write-in votes for such offices. In the event that no candidate in such nonpartisan election receives a majority of the total votes cast for such office, there shall be a nonpartisan election runoff between the candidates receiving the two highest numbers of votes; and the names of such candidates shall be placed on the official ballot at the general primary runoff in the same manner as prescribed in this Code section for the nonpartisan election and there shall be a separate official nonpartisan election run-off ballot for those electors who do not choose or are not eligible to vote in the general primary runoff. In the event that only nonpartisan candidates are to be placed on a run-off ballot, the form of the ballot shall be as prescribed by the Secretary of State or election superintendent in essentially the same format as prescribed for the nonpartisan election. Except as provided in subsection (g) of Code Section 21-2-134, the candidate having a majority of the votes cast in the nonpartisan election or the candidate receiving the highest number of votes cast in the nonpartisan election runoff shall be declared duly elected to such office.
History. Code 1981, § 21-2-285.1 , enacted by Ga. L. 1983, p. 1190, § 12; Ga. L. 1984, p. 133, § 1; Ga. L. 1994, p. 279, § 3; Ga. L. 1996, p. 145, § 15; Ga. L. 1998, p. 295, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 230, § 8; Ga. L. 2001, p. 269, § 18; Ga. L. 2002, p. 598, § 2-8; Ga. L. 2005, p. 253, § 37/HB 244; Ga. L. 2011, p. 678, § 5/HB 158; Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 21/SB 202.
The 2021 amendment, effective July 1, 2021, added the present third sentence, substituted “run-off” for “runoff” near the end of the ninth sentence, and substituted “Except as provided in subsection (g) of Code Section 21-2-134, the candidate” for “The candidate” at the beginning of the eleventh sentence.
Editor’s notes.
Ga. L. 1983, p. 1190, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provided that it was the intent of that Act to implement the provisions of Ga. Const 1983, Art. VI, Sec. VII, Para. I.
Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 1/SB 202, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘Election Integrity Act of 2021.”’
Ga. L. 2021, p. 14, § 2/SB 202, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “The General Assembly finds and declares that:
“(1) Following the 2018 and 2020 elections, there was a significant lack of confidence in Georgia election systems, with many electors concerned about allegations of rampant voter suppression and many electors concerned about allegations of rampant voter fraud;
“(2) Many Georgia election processes were challenged in court, including the subjective signature-matching requirements, by Georgians on all sides of the political spectrum before and after the 2020 general election;
“(3) The stress of the 2020 elections, with a dramatic increase in absentee-by-mail ballots and pandemic restrictions, demonstrated where there were opportunities to update existing processes to reduce the burden on election officials and boost voter confidence;
“(4) The changes made in this legislation in 2021 are designed to address the lack of elector confidence in the election system on all sides of the political spectrum, to reduce the burden on election officials, and to streamline the process of conducting elections in Georgia by promoting uniformity in voting. Several examples will help explain how these goals are achieved;
“(5) The broad discretion allowed to local officials for advance voting dates and hours led to significant variations across the state in total number of hours of advance voting, depending on the county. More than 100 counties have never offered voting on Sunday and many counties offered only a single day of weekend voting. Requiring two Saturday voting days and two optional Sunday voting days will dramatically increase the total voting hours for voters across the State of Georgia, and all electors in Georgia will have access to multiple opportunities to vote in person on the weekend for the first time;
“(6) Some counties in 2020 received significant infusions of grant funding for election operations, while other counties received no such funds. Promoting uniformity in the distribution of funds to election operations will boost voter confidence and ensure that there is no political advantage conferred by preferring certain counties over others in the distribution of funds;
“(7) Elections in Georgia are administered by counties, but that can lead to problems for voters in counties with dysfunctional election systems. Counties with long-term problems of lines, problems with processing of absentee ballots, and other challenges in administration need accountability, but state officials are limited in what they are able to do to address those problems. Ensuring there is a mechanism to address local election problems will promote voter confidence and meet the goal of uniformity;
“(8) Elections are a public process and public participation is encouraged by all involved, but the enthusiasm of some outside groups in sending multiple absentee ballot applications in 2020, often with incorrectly filled-in voter information, led to significant confusion by electors. Clarifying the rules regarding absentee ballot applications will build elector confidence while not sacrificing the opportunities for electors to participate in the process;
“(9) The lengthy absentee ballot process also led to elector confusion, including electors who were told they had already voted when they arrived to vote in person. Creating a definite period of absentee voting will assist electors in understanding the election process while also ensuring that opportunities to vote are not diminished, especially when many absentee ballots issued in the last few days before the election were not successfully voted or were returned late;
“(10) Opportunities for delivering absentee ballots to a drop box were first created by the State Election Board as a pandemic response. The drop boxes created by rule no longer existed in Georgia law when the emergency rules that created them expired. The General Assembly considered a variety of options and constructed a system that allows the use of drop boxes, while also ensuring the security of the system and providing options in emergency situations;
“(11) The lengthy nine-week runoffs in 2020 were exhausting for candidates, donors, and electors. By adding ranked choice voting for military and overseas voters, the run-off period can be shortened to a more manageable period for all involved, easing the burden on election officials and on electors;
“(12) Counting absentee ballots in 2020 took an incredibly long time in some counties. Creating processes for early processing and scanning of absentee ballots will promote elector confidence by ensuring that results are reported quickly;
“(13) The sanctity of the precinct was also brought into sharp focus in 2020, with many groups approaching electors while they waited in line. Protecting electors from improper interference, political pressure, or intimidation while waiting in line to vote is of paramount importance to protecting the election system and ensuring elector confidence;
“(14) Ballot duplication for provisional ballots and other purposes places a heavy burden on election officials. The number of duplicated ballots has continued to rise dramatically from 2016 through 2020. Reducing the number of duplicated ballots will significantly reduce the burden on election officials and creating bipartisan panels to conduct duplication will promote elector confidence;
“(15) Electors voting out of precinct add to the burden on election officials and lines for other electors because of the length of time it takes to process a provisional ballot in a precinct. Electors should be directed to the correct precinct on election day to ensure that they are able to vote in all elections for which they are eligible;
“(16) In considering the changes in 2021, the General Assembly heard hours of testimony from electors, election officials, and attorneys involved in voting. The General Assembly made significant modifications through the legislative process as it weighed the various interests involved, including adding further weekend voting, changing parameters for out-of-precinct voting, and adding transparency for ballot images; and
“(17) While each of the changes in this legislation in 2021 stands alone and is severable under Code Section 1-1-3, the changes in total reflect the General Assembly’s considered judgment on the changes required to Georgia’s election system to make it ‘easy to vote and hard to cheat,’ applying the lessons learned from conducting an election in the 2020 pandemic.”
Administrative rules and regulations.
Appearance of candidate’s name on ballot, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Georgia Election Code, Ballots, § 183-1-11-.02.
Spoiled ballot definition, Official Compilation of the Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, Georgia Election Code, Absentee Voting, § 183-1-14-.07.
Law reviews.
For article, “Local Government Law,” see 53 Mercer L. Rev. 389 (2001).
For article, “SB 202: Revisions to Georgia’s Election and Voting Procedures,” see 38 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 105 (2021).
For note on the 2001 amendment to this Code section, see 18 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 96 (2001).
For note on the 2001 amendment to this Code section, see 18 Ga. St. U. L. Rev. 114 (2001).