Georgia Democrats May Soon Have Power to Overhaul Election Board

Newly elected Democratic lawmakers in Georgia may soon have the political power required to overhaul the state’s Republican-controlled election board.

Following a sweeping midterm victory, Democrats are set to take control of the state House of Representatives and have significantly narrowed the GOP majority in the state Senate, according to reporting from Democracy Docket. This shift in legislative power places the party in a position to reshape the composition of the State Election Board, a body that state Democrats have long argued needs fundamental reform.

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Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms and Secretary of State-elect Penny Brown Reynolds both campaigned on the promise of purging anti-voting policies recently enacted by the board. Bottoms has gone a step further, proposing to eliminate the current board entirely in favor of an independent voting commission.

“The State Election Board has become mired in political games, conspiracy theories, and partisan interference,” Lance Bottoms said in a campaign proposal regarding voting states. “Georgia’s election system should not be run by people trying to undermine confidence in elections, intimidate local officials, or change the rules to benefit one political party.”

The current board makeup

The existing board is currently dominated by Republicans, who hold four of the five seats. Several members have faced scrutiny for their previous stances on election integrity and voter access.

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Salleigh Grubbs, who joined the board in January 2026, was previously noted for making claims regarding the 2020 election, specifically alleging that Fulton County officials double- and triple-counted ballots. Grubbs was appointed by Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, acting as state Senate president, a figure who has supported claims that the 2020 Georgia vote was rigged.

Another member, Janelle King, has also spread misinformation concerning voter fraud in Fulton County. Last year, King requested that the U.S. Department of Justice seize Fulton County’s 2020 election ballots to investigate fraud claims. The FBI cited King in an affidavit when it eventually seized those ballots in January.

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In recent months, the board’s Republican majority has moved to challenge the state’s voting infrastructure. In September, the board requested that the Trump administration investigate Georgia’s voting machines. This followed an October request by the board asking the DOJ to prohibit the state from using its voting machines altogether, occurring just weeks before the midterm elections.

Legislative control and appointments

The structure of the board is heavily influenced by the state legislature. Most members are appointed by legislative bodies: one is selected by the state House, one by the state Senate, and the board chair is elected by majorities from both chambers. The remaining two members are chosen by the state’s Democratic and Republican parties.

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The method for selecting the board chair changed in 2021. Previously, the Secretary of State served in this role, but Republican lawmakers altered the law to grant the legislature the power to make the appointment. This change occurred after then-Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger declined to support claims of fraud regarding the 2020 election.

The stakes for these administrative shifts are high for local election officials and voters. In 2024, a court intervened to block the board from enforcing certain anti-voting rules, citing concerns that the policies could have delayed election results and fueled uncertainty regarding fraud allegations.

As the new administration prepares to take office, Lance Bottoms intends to use her executive influence to negotiate with the General Assembly. She stated her goal is to “work with the General Assembly to eliminate the current State Election Board and replace it with a stronger, more independent election oversight structure that is insulated from partisan manipulation and focused on one mission: protecting free, fair, secure, and accessible elections.”

The first major tests of this new legislative balance will occur as the incoming officials begin their sessions and move to implement their election oversight agendas.