In the shadow of the Gold Dome, a dozen local political, business, faith, and organizational leaders gathered to oppose a bill that they deem will hurt Black politicians and Black voters.
Georgia House Bill 369 (HB 369) looks to make county-level elections in five of the state’s largest counties —Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Clayton—nonpartisan beginning in January 2028. The bill only applies to those five counties. Major statewide, local, and national elections have revolved around metro Atlanta results. The HB 369 opposition group spoke to why they believe those counties and the Black leadership within those counties are being targeted.
On Thursday morning, Fulton County Commissioner Rob Pitts, Georgia Rep. Jasmine Clark, Georgia Rep. Terry Cummings, Atlanta Black Chambers President Melvin Coleman, Atlanta North Georgia Labor Council President Sandra Lee Williams, Atlanta Business League President Leona Davenport, Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda Executive Director Helen Butler, and others spoke to local media about why they are publicly and privately opposing HB 369.
“This bill is not about improving democracy. It’s about changing the rules for five counties,” said League of Women Voters President Nichola Hines, who added that the bill should be for all 159 counties, or none at all.
Coleman said the bill should concern all Georgia voters, not just Democrats. “We have serious concerns about the objectives of the proposed legislation,” he said. “I stand here asking Governor [Brian] Kemp to veto HB 369.”
The bill was recently approved by the House and sent to the governor’s desk for approval. Members of the HB 369 opposition group acknowledged that they sat down with members of Kemp’s staff to express their concerns, but did not speak directly to the governor. A letter requesting a face-to-face meeting was hand-delivered to his office, according to Williams.
Holding a fan with the words “Voting is a sacred right,” Butler said, “Governor Kemp, veto HB 369.”
Georgia voters have a general primary election on May 19, with any runoffs on June 16. Bills like HB 369 are not necessarily on their radar amid everything taking place, including the rise in gas prices.
“The reality is that most Georgians do not know this bill exists,” said Johnson. “We are here for a clear purpose, and that’s to educate the public about HB 369.”
Johnson said voting rights can be severely affected by the passing of his bill.
“It raises serious civil rights and legal concerns,” she said.
Along with the other organizations, the Georgia NAACP, Concerned Black Clergy, Communities United for Justice, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber all had representatives in attendance.
“HB 369 is akin to political redlining,” said Partnership for Southern Equity VP for Strategy and Engagement Joel Alvarado. “The same logic applies to this legislation. They are trying to tell the state that these five counties have problems. This is a way to dilute the political power in those counties.”
Much of the political power in those counties is held by Black people.
