- County Commissioners create and pass laws at the county-level. These laws show up in very tangible ways, such as determining how much you pay in property and sales taxes, public transportation, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners are responsible for preparing and passing the county budget. The budget determines how much funding goes to various public services, such as public transportation, law enforcement, repairing roads, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners oversee the administrative duties of your county’s government to ensure the safety, comfort, and well-being of county residents.
- County Commissioners are elected to 4-year terms in staggered years. Typically, you only vote for the County Commissioner that represents your county commission district.

Creates new laws and passes the budget for your county

Georgia

2024 Georgia General Elections

2024 Georgia General Election Runoff

Taxes

Public Transportation

Public Services

Economy

Education

Public Safety

Housing & Urban Development

Transportation & Infrastructure

Energy & the Environment

County Commissioner

The Superior Court Clerk is the official record keeper and legal administrator of the county, as they are responsible for receiving and maintaining criminal and civil court filings. They also manage the county’s land and property records. Their duties are numerous and include administrative tasks, like accounting and administering oaths, and judicial, like maintaining legal records. They can also potentially fill in for other roles, such as State Court Clerk and Passport Acceptance Agents.

Official record keeper and administrator of the county

Union

Budget

Judicial Administration

Clerk of Superior Court

- The County Coroner runs the Coroner’s Office, which is responsible for determining the cause, manner, and circumstance of death under the Georgia Death Investigation Act.  
- Deaths that they are responsible for investigating include violent deaths, suicides, sudden deaths, deaths unattended by a physician, suspicious deaths, deaths of children younger than seven years old, executions, deaths of inmates, and deaths of people admitted to a hospital unconscious. 
- The Coroner is responsible for pronouncing someone dead, and for releasing remains to be cremated, transported to another state, or autopsied. 
- All Georgia Coroners are required to attend a 40 hour course at the Georgia State Patrol Training Center and receive 24 hours of in services training on death investigation procedures each year. 
- Coroners are elected to four year terms in nonpartisan elections. 

The chief medical examiner for the county

Public Health

Coroner

The County Sheriff is an elected official who acts as the chief law enforcement officer in their county. They are tasked with operating the county jails, keeping courtrooms secure during trials, and keeping the public safe through proper law enforcement. Each Sheriff's Office in Georgia may look a little different in how they hire and run their teams, but all County Sheriffs have the same duties. These duties include the following:

- Operating the county jail
- Providing court security
- Serving civil papers
- Executing arrest warrants
- Providing primary law enforcement within unincorporated areas of the county
- Working with city law enforcement officers to keep municipalities safe

The County Sheriff and their office are unique to other law enforcement agencies in that it has to answer to the people it serves. Historically, a turnover in the Sheriff’s office will likely result in noticeable change within the office, so voting for this office is a very effective way to vote approval or disapproval for how county law enforcement is conducted.

The chief law enforcement officer in the county

Jail Management

Criminal Justice

County Sheriff

Tax Commissioners are elected at the county level, and their job is to oversee most phases of the taxing process. These responsibilities include billing, collecting, processing, and distributing taxes. They are generally in charge of property taxes, solid waste fees, public utilities, and renewing your vehicle tag. Notably, the Tax Commissioner does not determine how much taxes you pay. Because taxes are a source of revenue for counties, the tax commissioners’ work is ultimately beneficial to individual cities, education, transportation, and other local services. In addition to administering tax laws, the department is responsible for enforcing laws and  regulations pertaining to the control of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products in Georgia as well as motor vehicle license plate and title administration.

Oversees the taxing process in the county

Administration

Tax Commissioner

A county surveyor is an elected official at the county level in Georgia. They are in charge of land survey records, re-establishing and maintaining government survey monuments, and reviewsing property boundaries and subdivision plans. Other duties may vary from county to county. This position is important because before any physical development can be made, the land in that area must be properly surveyed. With all of the growth and development Georgia is seeing today, a good surveyors office is essential. They can identify potential land risks as well as opportunities, making them a crucial player in urban planning and growth.

Fun fact: Land surveying is one of the oldest known professions, and is still relevant today!

County Surveyor

- The Board of Education runs the public school system. The Board of Education is entirely independent from the rest of the county government.
- Board of Education members work together to make school policy, set the budget, and appoint the superintendent to run the schools day to day.
- Board of Education members are elected to four-year terms in nonpartisan elections.

Part of the board that governs your county's public school system

Teacher Pay

College & Career Readiness

Access to Education

School Curriculum

School Facilities & Resources

Student Wellbeing

Teachers

County Board of Education Member

- The President is the leader of the federal Executive Branch. They are primarily responsible for implementing and enforcing laws written by Congress.
- The President influences the national laws and regulations by proposing legislation and winning support from members of Congress. They can also veto legislation that was approved by Congress, which can only then be overridden by a two-thirds vote.
- The President can pass executive orders without the approval of Congress. Examples of historic executive orders include Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves, and Franklin Roosevelt's establishment of internment camps during World War II.
- The President is the Commander in Chief of the US Armed Forces, which includes the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. Only Congress can declare war, but the President plays a key role in deciding when and where to deploy troops, even when war hasn't been declared. The President also has sole nuclear launch authority.
- The President appoints and manages the Vice President and their Cabinet, which includes the heads of 15 executive departments that impact a wide range of issues, including agriculture, education, housing, and transportation.
- Outside of their official powers, the President can act as a leader to the American public, as seen in moments of crisis, like Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats during the Great Depression. Additionally, their advocacy for certain policies or social issues can shape public opinion and create action, similar to how President John F. Kennedy galvanized the nation around the space race in the 1960s.

2024 Georgia candidates

Twiggs County Commissioner, District 4

2 candidates

How this impacts you

Union Clerk of Superior Court

1 candidate

Union Coroner

1 candidate

Union County Commissioner

2 candidates

How this impacts you

Union County Sheriff

1 candidate

Union Tax Commissioner

1 candidate

Union County Surveyor

1 candidate

Union County Board of Education Member, District 1

1 candidate

How this impacts you

Union County Board of Education Member, District 3

1 candidate

How this impacts you

US President

4 candidates