{"id":2602132,"date":"2026-05-13T10:51:02","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:51:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brian-kemp-signs-bill-making-atlanta-races-more-competitive-for-republicans\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T10:52:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T14:52:49","slug":"brian-kemp-signs-bill-making-atlanta-races-more-competitive-for-republicans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brian-kemp-signs-bill-making-atlanta-races-more-competitive-for-republicans\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Kemp signs bill making Atlanta races more competitive for Republicans"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbrian-kemp-signs-bill-making-atlanta-races-more-competitive-for-republicans%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2602132&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Gov. Brian Kemp signed Georgia House Bill 369 on Tuesday, shortly before the state <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-legislation-that-has-created-a-4-trillion-time-bomb-for-2024\/\" title=\" trillion time bomb in 2024 due to legislation.\">legislative deadline<\/a>, changing elections in many Atlanta-area counties so that most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/black-farmers-group-calls-on-usdas-vilsack-to-resign\/\" title=\"Black Farmers&#039; Group Calls on USDA&#039;s Vilsack to Resign\">county offices<\/a> will be filled thru <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-free-to-learn-president-theres-no-way-education-is-going-to-go-away-in-2022\/\" title=\"Exclusive \u2014 Free to Learn President: &#039;There&#039;s No Way&#039; Education Is &#039;Going to Go Away&#039; in 2022\">nonpartisan elections<\/a>.The law applies except for sheriffs in Gwinnett, Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, adn Cobb counties, and it won\u2019t take effect until Jan. 1, 2028-so it won\u2019t affect the 2026 elections.<\/p>\n<p>Republican backers, including the bill\u2019s initial sponsor John Albers, argue the change is meant to remove party politics from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/runbeck-election-systems-teamed-up-with-dominion-voting-systems-in-georgia-election-pallets-of-companys-ballots-found-in-fulton-county-warehouse\/\" title=\"Runbeck Election Systems Teamed Up with Dominion Voting Systems in Georgia Election \u2014 Pallets of Company\u2019s Ballots Found in ... County Warehouse\">local races<\/a> and focus on issues like public safety. But Georgia Republicans have also suggested the bill could advantage their candidates by weakening Democratic influence in heavily Democratic counties such as Fulton.<\/p>\n<p>Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and DeKalb County District Attorney Sherri Boston criticized the bill as unconstitutional and motivated by \u201cbad faith,\u201d saying it is indeed intended to give Republicans an edge by <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >concealing candidates\u2019 party affiliations<\/a>. They pledged to challenge the measure in court.<\/p>\n<p>The signing also comes as Kemp faces political pressure from state GOP leaders and 2026 candidates to engage in redistricting, which would affect georgia\u2019s congressional map. Kemp has said he\u2019s concerned about interfering with already-started early voting for state primaries and has instead indicated he will address redistricting in line with the supreme Court\u2019s Louisiana v. Callais ruling for the 2028 cycle.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/brian-kemp\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3312\">Brian Kemp<\/a> (R-GA) signed a bill just before <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"164\">Georgia\u2019s<\/a> legislative deadline, making several Atlanta-area elections nonpartisan, a move that could weaken the Democratic stronghold.<\/p>\n<p>The legislation, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.ga.gov\/api\/legislation\/document\/20252026\/247976\">House Bill 369<\/a>, switches all county offices, except the sheriff\u2019s offices in Gwinnett, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fulton-county\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1978\">Fulton<\/a>, DeKalb, Clayton, and Cobb counties, to nonpartisan elections. Though Kemp signed the bill into law on Tuesday, it will not go into effect until Jan. 1, 2028, meaning it will not be in place for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11676\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">2026 elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4565102\/alejandro-mayorkas-not-endorse-xavier-becerra-california\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Mayorkas doesn\u2019t endorse fellow Biden official Becerra in California gubernatorial race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4564793\/brad-raffensperger-campaign-bomb-threat-event-will-not-back-down\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Brad Raffensperger campaign has bomb threat at event location: \u2018I will not back down\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4564369\/spencer-pratt-guy-benson-los-angeles-mayor\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018There is a lot to like\u2019 about Spencer Pratt: Guy Benson<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>The bill\u2019s Republican sponsors have said the point is to take politics out of local elections and to focus on other matters, like public safety. Republican state Sen. John Albers, the bill\u2019s initial sponsor, told a local Atlanta outlet that his bill \u201chas nothing to do with a party.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>\u201cWe have the Super Bowl coming here,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/gov-kemp-signs-controversial-bill-make-every-election-metro-atlanta-counties-non-partisan\/KD7KNDC53RCRFMFSG65FNITONI\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.wsbtv.com\/news\/local\/atlanta\/gov-kemp-signs-controversial-bill-make-every-election-metro-atlanta-counties-non-partisan\/KD7KNDC53RCRFMFSG65FNITONI\/\">Albers said<\/a>. \u201cWe have the NCAA. We had the World Cup. We have all these conglomerations of federal, state, and local agencies working together. If we can take the politics out of that equation, that means we\u2019re focusing on public safety, which is my number one priority.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the state\u2019s GOP has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jasonanavitarte\/status\/2054384743626477892?s=20\">not been shy<\/a> about celebrating how the bill could give Republicans a boost and cut away at Fulton County District Attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fani-willis\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2608\">Fani Willis\u2019s<\/a> margins. The Democratic district attorney has drawn the ire of Republicans across the country after she brought a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4456354\/fani-willis-slams-17-million-fees-from-trump-codefendants\/\">failed racketeering case<\/a> against President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Willis and DeKalb County District Attorney Sherri Boston slammed the bill as one crafted with \u201cbad faith and unconstitutional motives.\u201d The two vowed to fight the bill in court and said that taxpayers will \u201csadly\u201d be the ones footing the bill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHouse Bill 369 is clearly unconstitutional, and we are appalled at Governor Brian Kemp\u2019s decision to sign it into law,\u201d Willis and Boston said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bluestein\/status\/2054381009546719364?s=20\">joint statement<\/a>. \u201cThis is a blatant attempt by Republicans to give their candidates an edge in Democratic counties by hiding their party affiliation from voters.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4558801\/pressure-brian-kemp-suspend-georgia-primary-redistricting\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4558801\">PRESSURE MOUNTS FOR KEMP TO SUSPEND PRIMARIES AND TAKE UP REDISTRICTING<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The move to sign the elections bill comes as Kemp has faced widespread pressure from the state\u2019s GOP legislators and 2026 election candidates to jump into the national <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/redistricting\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"241\">redistricting<\/a> battle and redraw the Peach State\u2019s congressional map in favor of Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Kemp has held out so far on redistricting for 2026, voicing concern that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4547468\/georgia-record-primary-voter-turnout-first-day-early-voting\/\">early voting<\/a> for the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4560788\/lack-of-trump-endorsement-affected-georgia-gop-senate-primary\/\">state\u2019s primaries<\/a> is already underway. He has instead vowed to redraw the map in line with the Supreme Court\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/supreme-court\/4548431\/supreme-court-louisiana-redistricting-ruling-democrats-south\/\"><em>Louisiana v. Callais<\/em><\/a>  decision for the 2028 election cycle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kemp signed HB 369, making many metro Atlanta elections nonpartisan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2602133,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26079596167106.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[9584,23131,38334,43554,45456],"class_list":["post-2602132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-atlanta","tag-brian-kemp","tag-election-reform","tag-georgia-politics","tag-republican-strategy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP26079596167106.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602132","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602132"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602136,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602132\/revisions\/2602136"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}