ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta county commissioners are urging Gov. Brian Kemp to veto a bill that would turn most county offices into non-partisan seats.
They say that because the bill only targets the five metro Atlanta counties -- Fulton, Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb, and Clayton -- not all 159.
The counties are Democratic strongholds, so they say this violates the equal protection clause.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson joined other county and state lawmakers on Tuesday, trying to persuade the governor.
“I call upon Governor Kemp to please veto this bill,” Cochran-Johnson said.
The bill would impact Cobb County District Attorney Sonya Allen.
“This bill is not constitutionally sound. It violates the Constitution. Any amendment to the Constitution should be done through the voters,” Allen said.
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The House passed the controversial bill during an unexpected vote on Friday.
Mulberry Republican Chuck Efstration, the House Majority Leader, said county commissioners, DAs, solicitors, and tax commissioners should be non-partisan.
“There isn’t a Republican line and a Democratic line when entering the courthouse. All citizens should be treated the same as they seek out services from local government,” Efstration told Channel 2’s Richard Elliot earlier this week.
Clayton County Commission Chair Dr. Alieka Anderson-Henry believes the bill would only confuse voters, making elections even more difficult.
She also believes the law doesn’t pass a constitutional bar.
“Let’s be clear what the bill does. It creates two different election systems in the State of Georgia. One system for most counties and another completely different system for just five counties,” Anderson-Henry said.
The governor’s office says this bill, like other bills, will receive a thorough review before any decision is made.
But if he signs, district attorneys in several counties say they plan to challenge it in court.
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