The Cobb County Board of Elections and Registration set dates for the special election for Cobb Board of Commissioners Districts 2 and 4.
A special election was made necessary as a result of a lawsuit.
On July 25, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Kellie Hill ordered a special election in those two districts after ruling that the county should have used district maps approved by the state legislature.
The state maps, created without input from the Board of Commissioners, had drawn District 2 Commissioner Jerica Richardson out of the district she represented.
The Cobb BOC had then invoked Georgia’s home rule statute, and approved maps that were more similar to the previous district lines.
The May primary elections were conducted using the “home rule” maps created by the county.
Judge Hill’s ruling invalidated the results of the primary election.
The election board approved two possible election schedules, depending on whether runoffs are necessary for the November general election.
If there is no runoff election necessary, the board will follow this schedule:
- Qualifying: Dec. 18 – 20
- Primary: February 11
- Runoff: March 11
- General: April 29
If there is a runoff election, this would be the schedule:
- Qualifying: Jan. 27 – 29
- Primary: March 18
- Runoff: April 15
- General: June 17
Advance In-Person voting dates would be available.
According to an article on the county website, “The county has filed motions in the case asking the judge to allow the county to intervene and to reconsider her ruling. The judge has not yet responded to those motions.”
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.
Since the majority of the legislative delegation and the BOC chairwomanship are currently Democratic, Democrats have appointed four of the five seats.
Here is the current composition of the board:
| Member | Contact | Appointed by | Term |
| Steven F. Bruning | Steve.Bruning@cobbcounty.org | Legislative Delegation | July 1, 2021 -June 30, 2025 |
| Tori Silas(Chairwoman) | 404-539-0157Tori.Silas@cobbcounty.org | Legislative Delegation | July 1, 2021 -June 30, 2025 |
| Stacy Efrat(Secretary) | Stacy.Efrat@cobbcounty.org | Democratic Party | July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2027 |
| Debbie Fisher(Assistant Secretary) | 404-661-2580Debbie.Fisher@cobbcounty.org | Republican Party | July 1, 2023 -June 30, 2027 |
| Jennifer Mosbacher(Vice Chair) | Jennifer.Mosbacher@cobbcounty.org | Commission Chair | July 1, 2021 -June 30, 2025 |
