When you fill out your ballot for the Nov. 5 General Election, you’ll have a number of positions to vote for, from the president at the top of the ballot down through state, county and city offices.
What do all these elected officials actually do? And why should you care about a government position you may never think about in your day-to-day life?
Like it or not, your day-to-day life is likely impacted in some way by all these offices — so let’s break it down from the top.
As a reminder, you can use the Georgia Decides election guide from Atlanta Civic Circle and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to see who is on your ballot.
U.S. president and vice-president
The president is the head of the executive branch of the federal government. They are responsible for implementing and enforcing laws written by Congress, which they do by appointing the heads of federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The president also names judges to fill vacancies in federal district courts up through the Supreme Court, subject to confirmation from the Senate.
The president cannot make laws, but works with Congress to enact them. The president signs bills passed by Congress into law and also has the power to veto a bill. Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate.
The president also submits a federal budget proposal to Congress each year, based on requests from federal agencies. Congress uses the president’s proposal as a starting point for budget negotiations. Once Congress actually passes a budget, the president must sign it into law.
As the Commander in Chief, the president also heads the armed forces, with the power to make decisions about military strategy, deploy troops, and appoint military commanders. While the president has broad military authority, it’s Congress that holds the power to declare war and fund military operations.
Consequently, the president has some degree of power over pretty much any issue that the federal government deals with, such as war and foreign policy, environmental protection, foreign trade deals, tax-code enforcement, and federal law enforcement.
Check out Atlanta Civic Circle’s explainers on the powers the president has over:
The vice president has few actual powers. They often stand in for the president at official events and ceremonies. If the president were to die or become incapacitated, the vice president would become the president, subject to the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The vice president also presides over the Senate and can cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate in the case of a 50-50 deadlock. This has been relevant in recent years, due to the even split in the Senate between Democrats and Republicans.
U.S. Representatives
There are no federal Senate seats up for election this year in Georgia, so we’ll skip to the House of Representatives. The House in tandem with the Senate passes federal laws on everything from taxes to environmental regulation.
The chief responsibility for U.S. Reps., also known as Congressmembers, is the power of the purse. They approve the budget for the federal government, which must then be approved by the Senate.
Georgia has 14 Congressmembers, proportional to its population. The state is divided into Congressional districts — so your Congressmember depends on where you live.
State senators and representatives
Like the U.S. Congress, the Georgia legislature passes state laws and determines the funding for state agencies and programs.
The state legislature impacts everything from public safety (Georgia’s State Patrol, Department of Corrections, Bureau of Investigation), roads and bridges (Georgia Department of Transportation), and education (Georgia Department of Education) to abortion rights, state election law, and state taxes. Like the president, the governor must sign state bills into law and can veto a bill.
Check out our explainer: Georgia lawmaking 101.
County offices
Here it gets a little in-the-weeds, because offices can vary by county. DeKalb County, for example, has a CEO, who operates like a mini-president for the county. Other Georgia counties are run by county commissions, which are more like a legislative body with a chair. Most counties have five or more commissioners, but seven of Georgia’s 159 counties with small populations have just one.
County commissions establish policy, enact laws and ordinances, set the county’s taxes, and approve its annual budget. They are also responsible for elections. The county commissioners set the budget for the county’s elections office and appoint the chair of its Board of Registration and Elections, who can often serve as a tiebreaker vote on procedural decisions.
For cities within counties, the city council functions similarly to a county commission – so if you live in a city, it’s important to pay attention to both.
If you care about your local schools and public libraries, roads and bridges, public transit, law enforcement, jail, courts, environment, or taxes you’ll want to pay attention to these county offices on the ballot.
- Clerk of Courts: Official county record-keeper for civil cases, criminal cases, real-estate titles and other records, notary public administration, and jury management.
- District Attorney: Chief law-enforcement officer and top prosecutor in the county, responsible for criminal prosecutions and investigations. The D.A. represents the state in criminal prosecutions.
- Solicitor General: While the D.A. handles big crime, the solicitor general is the top prosecutor for misdemeanor cases.
- Sheriff: Heads the Sheriff’s Office, which has countywide law enforcement jurisdiction. Enforces laws, as well as court orders, such as warrants and evictions, and runs the county jail. Unlike a city police chief, who reports to the mayor, a sheriff is elected directly by voters.
- Board of Education: Responsible for the administration and budgetsof the county’s public schools and libraries. Governs the school district.
- County Tax Commissioner: Oversees tax collection for the county.
- Soil and Water Supervisors: Check out our explainer on Georgia’s most unsung elected office.
City offices
Usually the elected offices at the city level only include the mayor and city council. The Mayor is a city’s chief executive and the city council enacts laws and ordinances. It also passes the budget, which must be signed off on by the mayor.
This year, there is a special election for the Atlanta City Council’s Post 3 At-Large seat, due to a vacancy created by Keisha Sean Waites’s resignation. The Atlanta City Council has 15 seats, including three at-large seats, which means any Atlanta citizen can vote for them.
Here’s a rundown of the five candidates from our friends at Capital B Atlanta. You can also watch last week’s #VoteATL candidate forum on YouTube.
Important election reminders:
- Early voting starts Oct. 15 and ends Nov. 1.
- The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 25.
- Election Day is Nov. 5.
This story has been updated to reflect that county commissions’ purview includes elections.
Great Information. Thank you!