Gerry Miller was appointed interim election director at Monday’s meeting of the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration.

Miller, a retired staffer with the elections department, will contract with a firm to begin a national search for a new director.

The board and the Cobb County Human Resources department had previously attempted a search to fill the position, but were unsuccessful in identifying a candidate they found suitable.

The permanent elections director position has been open since the retirement of previous Director Janine Eveler, who left the post after the Mableton municipal elections were completed.

Miller retired from Cobb elections in 2021 as director of the department’s Preparation Center, after 11 years in that position.

He  spent 14 years as an Information Technology Supervisor at Sprint between 1988 and 2002, and also worked in election administration capacities for Henry and Fulton counties.

“We are grateful that Gerry has agreed to come out of retirement to help lead our elections team,” said Board of Elections Director Tori Silas.  “We believe he will provide steady leadership while we work to expand our search for a new Elections Director.”

According to the announcement on the Cobb County website, “The board is working to onboard Miller as soon as possible and has started work to identify a search firm to jumpstart a nationwide search for a permanent Elections Director.”

The election board meetings, once routine procedural and administrative meetings, have been a venue for controversy and scrutiny in recent years after the false claims by former President Donald Trump that the 2020 election was stolen from him. His supporters have mounted multiple unsuccessful challenges in an attempt to disqualify voters and change the outcome of the election.

About the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration

On its web page, the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration describes its mission as follows:

“The mission of the Elections Department is to register citizens of Cobb County to vote; to ensure that elections are free, impartial, fair, accurate, convenient and accessible to all voters; to encourage voter participation; to provide excellent customer service to voters, candidates, and the media; and to help the public understand and follow all laws, rules and regulations.

“The Elections Department, with oversight from the Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration, enforces strict adherence to all current Federal, State and Local laws as well as to State Election Board Rules concerning registering to vote and voting, and serves all citizens in election related matters.”

The board has five members, with two appointed by the state legislative delegation, one each appointed by the Cobb Democratic and Republican parties, and one appointed by the Chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners.

Here is the current composition of the board: