A bill in the Georgia Senate would remove party labels from Cobb County school board elections starting in 2028.
What’s Happening: Senate Bill 510 would change how voters choose members of the Cobb County Board of Education. Right now, candidates run as Republicans or Democrats. Under the bill, they would run without any party label. That is called a nonpartisan election.
Most school board races in Georgia are already nonpartisan. Cobb County is one of the few where candidates must declare a party. In most local races like these, voters pick a person, not a party.
Requiring a party label for a school board seat is unusual because school boards do not vote along party lines the way legislatures do. They set local education policy, approve school budgets, and hire superintendents.
What’s Important: The change would only apply to elections held after January 1, 2028. Anyone currently serving on the board, or elected before that date, would finish their term and could run again under the current rules.
How This Affects Real People: Cobb County voters who currently see a Republican or Democratic label next to school board candidates on their ballots would no longer see those labels in races held after January 1, 2028.
The Path Forward: The bill has been introduced in the Georgia Senate. It has not yet passed.
