A Georgia law making some county-level elections nonpartisan from 2028 will not affect the November midterm election or remove candidate party labels from any statewide or national ballots as suggested in misleading social media posts.

An October 4 Facebook post addressed to "Georgia voters" said the State Election Board of Georgia "has decided to remove the (R) and the (D) that normally appears next to candidate’s names on the upcoming midterms ballots." However, the post is referring to legislation that is not yet in force and affects only local elections in five counties in the greater Atlanta area.

Georgia House Bill 369, which Governor Brian Kemp signed on May 12, calls for nonpartisan races for the district attorney and nearly all offices in those counties, such as tax commissioner and certain court clerks, starting on January 1, 2028.

The law won’t affect the November ballots, a spokesperson for the Office of the Georgia Secretary of State said in an emailed statement. "Voters will clearly see partisan affiliation when they cast their ballots, period." A current sample ballot on the official website of Fulton County, one of the five counties where Georgia House Bill 369 will apply, shows partisan affiliations next to candidate names for the upcoming midterm.

Misleading. While Georgia plans to shift to nonpartisan elections for local offices in some counties, the legislation is not yet in effect and will not eliminate party affiliation from the November 3 midterm ballot or other statewide and national election ballots. This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team.