Distinction Between Forms of County Election Oversary Entities

In the state of Georgia, county-level election oversaries have a significant impact on the voting experience of citizens who reside in said county. These oversaries are responsible for the majority of the logistical decisions that determine where, when, and how their citizens vote, though their decisions are constrained to a degree by mandates established by both the federal government and the state election board.

The form that these oversary entities take varies depending on which county is examined. All Georgian counties do, however, design their election offices after at least one of the following three forms:

• Board of Registration – These bodies are primarily concerned with the voting process, and are not extremely involved with the intricacies of the election itself. Members of this board are responsible for record keeping, organizing methods to register voters in their county, maintaining records changing addresses, notifying voters of precinct changes, and other duties that are relevant to the act of voting. 
• Board of Elections  – These oversary bodies busy themselves with organizing the execution of elections in their assigned counties. They are responsible for determining how many precincts are necessary to ensure that the county is in compliance with state mandates, making sure that the precincts are properly manned, organizing election proceedings, and other related responsibilities. 
• Probate Judge – This is a single individual that, in some counties, acts as an election superintendent – or an individual empowered to make executive decisions regarding the election process in their county. Probate judges are typically given these duties to supplement the work of Boards of Registration. 

It is also important to note that the majority of counties model their election oversaries after multiple of the aforementioned forms. It has been established that probate judges often exist in tandem with Boards of Registration, but even more common in Georgia is the combination of the first and second listed forms to make a single oversary body – the Board of Elections and Registration. This is seen across the majority of Georgia counties, where this single committee is responsible for making most, if not all, of the decisions regarding voting and elections in that county.

Did you know that the public can attend Board of Registration and Elections meetings? 

These meetings are open to the public by Georgia law. Georgia Open Meetings Act.

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