Cobb DA issues statement on Georgia’s HB 369

Cobb County District Attorney Sonya Allen issued the following statement regarding HB 369, signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp. The law selectively targeted the largest Georgia counties under Black leadership, making elections for various county-wide elections non-partisan, without affecting the remaining counties in Georgia:

DA Allen wrote:

I am deeply disappointed by the signing of HB 369. If this legislation was truly about fairness and removing politics from public safety, it would apply equally to all 159 counties in Georgia — not selectively target only five. Laws of this magnitude should never be crafted to affect only certain communities while excluding the rest of the state.

The selective nature of this bill raises serious concerns. When legislation is aimed at only five counties, particularly diverse and heavily populated counties, people are right to question the motives behind it. Voters deserve to have their voices respected, not diminished through politically driven legislation disguised as change.

I was elected by the “people” of Cobb County  and I intend to continue serving ALL residents with transparency, fairness, integrity, and independence. My focus remains exactly where it should be: protecting public safety, pursuing justice fairly, and ensuring Cobb County is the safest county in Georgia.
The citizens of Cobb County spoke before…their voices matter, and they should never be undermined by political maneuvering from under the Gold Dome.

About HB 369

Georgia House Bill 369, recently signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp, changes how many local elections are conducted in five large metro Atlanta counties: Cobb County, Fulton County, DeKalb County, Gwinnett County, and Clayton County.

The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2028. Under HB 369, several county-level offices in those counties will move from partisan elections to nonpartisan elections. That means candidates will no longer appear on the ballot with party labels such as Democrat or Republican next to their names.

The offices affected include:

• County commissioners
• District attorneys
• Solicitors-general
• Tax commissioners
• Clerks of Superior Court
• Some other countywide offices depending on the county structure

One unusual feature of the bill is that it applies only to those five counties, not statewide. The legal mechanism used is that the bill applies to counties with medical examiner systems instead of coroners, and those five counties currently fit that description.

Supporters of the bill, mostly Republicans in the Georgia legislature, argue that local government offices should be less partisan and more focused on administration than party politics. They frame the bill as an effort to “depoliticize” local races.

Opponents argue the law is politically targeted because all five counties lean Democratic and have significant Black voting populations. Critics — including local officials in Cobb and other metro counties — say the bill could confuse voters by removing party labels and potentially reduce Democratic turnout advantages.