A Democrat state representative from Milledgeville says he wants to change the leadership of the State Elections Board and composition of the Board of Regents. State Rep. Floyd Griffin recently introduced House Bills 40 and 203, which would allow the Secretary of State to serve as chair of the State Election Board and include alumni of historically black colleges or universities (HBCUs) to serve on the Board of Regents.
HB 40 would change the process of naming the chair of the Board of Elections and require that Georgia’s Secretary of State serve as the chairperson. Currently, the chair is elected by the General Assembly through a joint resolution passed by majority vote in both the House and Senate and then certified by the governor.
“As I begin my first term in the Georgia House after previously serving in our state’s Senate, I look forward to working with old and new friends in supporting legislation to better our communities and state,” said Griffin. “These two bills seek to do just that – improve our state and communities. By reinstating our Secretary of State as chair of the State Election Board under HB 40, we ensure that our election’s board is more accurately represented by our state’s voters.
The bill would maintain the board’s existing structure of including members elected by the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as nominees from political parties. The bill also clarifies that while the board will be administratively attached to the Secretary of State’s office, it remains a separate and distinct budget unit not under the Secretary of State’s direct jurisdiction. Other provisions of the existing law regarding board meetings, executive director responsibilities, and overall function remain largely unchanged.
HB 203 would require that the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents include at least one at-large member of the board to be a graduate of a historically black college or university.
The legislation introduces a phased-in approach to board composition: starting January 1, 2028, at least one at-large board member must be a graduate of an in-state HBCU, and by January 1, 2031, this requirement increases to at least two at-large members.
“Under HB 203, we commit to accurately representing our state’s university system by guaranteeing that a position of the Board of Regents is held by a member of a HBCU,” Griffin said.
