What county positions are on the ballot this election — and what do they do?
Here's a look at what these county officers do, so you have a better sense of when heading to the polls this November.
In America, we vote on a lot of things, including numerous county-level offices that have a sizable impact on the way our local governments function.
While most people know what their senators, representatives and the president do, there are numerous jobs at the county level that can be a little harder to wrap your head around.
Ranging from the tax commissioner to clerks of courts to coroners, it can be hard to know exactly what the people you are voting for do each day.
As Central Georgians hit the polls, here’s a look at what those jobs are – and how they impact our community.
Sheriff
While police chiefs are appointed by local cities – and can be fired by the mayor and local city councils – the county sheriff is selected by the people through elections.
The top county law enforcement officer oversees the sheriff’s office, which enforces the laws and investigates crimes in the county. They often also serve arrest warrants and eviction papers among numerous other law enforcement responsibilities.
Along with enforcing the law and investigating crimes, they also oversee security at the county courthouse – along with reviewing the security plan at least every four years. They also oversee and run the county jail, too.
District Attorney
While you may be aware of the District Attorney or D.A. from T.V. and movies, there’s a lot more to the job than what is captured on the silver screen.
The District Attorney’s primary job is to hold people accountable for crimes in a court of law. The District Attorney, alongside their team of lawyers – known as Assistant District Attorneys – lay out the case against the accused.
Georgia law lists 13 duties of the district attorney. But the main thrust of their job is to review cases and make decisions about how to prosecute, including whether there is enough evidence to prosecute.
The district attorney also brings cases to a grand jury to get indictments or an official allegation of crime. They also advise law enforcement about evidence and the law along with aiding victims of crimes “through the complexities of the criminal justice system” and their rights as victims.
While the DA’s Office must follow the law, they do have considerable latitude. For starters, you often see wide disparities between district attorney’s offices and how hard they fight for the death penalty.
As your prosecutor, the choices they make have real-world consequences on crime, on justice and on the courts.
Commissioner
The County Commission is the body that handles the county layer of the governmental layer cake.
Ranging from adopting county ordinances to setting a millage rate and allocating financial resources to various departments/initiatives, the county commission can have wide-reaching impacts.
They vote on ordinances and other county legislation along with the acquisition of land, entering contracts and so much more.
Your county commissioner is your local representative who makes decisions about the direction of the county government’s laws, regulations and policies. Because of that, your vote for the county commission can have considerable influence on your local government.
Coroner
You may hear us talking to the coroner of various counties. But what are the core components of their job?
Under Georgia Law, the coroner is tasked with determining the cause and manner of death, which – depending on the death – can be an intensive investigation and include a post-mortem examination.
There are five separate categories the coroner can assign to a death
Homicide
Suicide
Natural
Accidental
Undetermined
The coroner’s investigation into the cause of death is separate from that of law enforcement, but they do work alongside them.
They can also call for a Coroner’s Inquest, which is a jury of citizens who help determine the cause of death in complicated and unclear cases.
Board of Education
The Board of Education oversees the functioning of the county school system, but its powers do extend to people who don’t have students in the school system.
Along with handling matters like hiring the superintendent and approving hiring – and firing – decisions, they have the final say over the budget, policy-making and so much more.
But members of the Board of Education also have another impact on county residents: they make decisions on property taxes for the county.
There are three authorities that set property taxes: the county, the city and the county school board. They set their own millage rates separate from one another.
So along with affecting the schools, they also do have an impact when tax day comes around.
Tax Commissioner
The Tax Commissioner handles many local taxes including property taxes, vehicle taxes, vehicle registration and more.
They have the ability to approve or deny homestead exemptions, too. They also are where you typically receive your license plate along with paying fees and taxes on your vehicle.
They also work with the county commission when property tax season comes around. When determining the millage rate, they compile the property tax digest, the total value of all properties in the county. And if that is higher than the year before, they also often calculate the rollback rate as well.
Court of Clerk
The cogs of the court system create a lot of documents. Because of that, there has to be someone who keeps track of those documents and ensures they are accessible to the public as required under the law.
Because of that, the public votes on a Clerk of Superior Court, which includes most of your murder trials and robberies and many felony offenses.
In many counties, they also are in charge of many other things including deeds and real estate documents among many other things.
They also account for funds paid into the registries of the court, maintaining physician and attorney bar records and many other administrative responsibilities.
The Superior Court Clerks of Georgia has a list of responsibilities on all fronts – administrative, judicial and real estate/property – that you can find here.
Here is a look at the local races around Central Georgia: