Five Fayette County Leaders Support Nonpartisan Elections for Probate Judges 

County Commissioners Lee Hearn, Eric Maxwell and Charles Oddo Join Peachtree City Mayor Kim Learnard and Woolsey Mayor Ron Smith Among Nearly 70 Georgia Leaders Supporting November Constitutional Amendment

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. — Five elected leaders from Fayette County have joined nearly 70 current and former elected officials, faith leaders and community leaders from across Georgia in signing a letter supporting the proposed constitutional amendment that would require all probate judges in Georgia to be elected in nonpartisan elections.

The Fayette County signatories are Lee Hearn, chairman of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners; Fayette County Commissioners Eric Maxwell and Charles W. Oddo; Peachtree City Mayor Kim Learnard; and Woolsey Mayor Ron Smith.

They join a statewide group that includes former Governors Roy Barnes and Nathan Deal; U.S. Congressman Buddy Carter; Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper; former Georgia Labor Commissioner and former DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond; former State Representative Calvin Smyre; former Lieutenant Governors Casey Cagle and Mark Taylor; former Secretaries of State Karen Handel and Lewis Massey; former U.S. Representative Buddy Darden; and dozens of state and local leaders from communities throughout Georgia.

Together, nearly 70 Georgia leaders have signed the letter supporting the constitutional amendment appearing on the November ballot:

“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to require that all probate judges be elected in nonpartisan elections?”

The letter centers on the principle that Georgia’s judges should be elected based on their qualifications, experience and ability to administer justice fairly — rather than their affiliation with a political party.

Georgia already elects its Supreme Court justices, Court of Appeals judges, superior court judges, state court judges and magistrate judges on a nonpartisan basis. Probate judges remain the exception.

Probate courts serve Georgians during some of the most important and personal moments in their lives. Depending on the jurisdiction, these courts handle matters involving wills and estates, guardianships, marriage licenses, weapons-carry licenses and other responsibilities established by Georgia law.

The five Fayette County signatories represent both county and municipal government, with three members of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners joined by the mayors of two Fayette County municipalities.

“The participation of five elected leaders from Fayette County demonstrates the broad range of communities represented among the nearly 70 Georgians who have signed this letter,” said Kevin Holder, executive director of the Council of Probate Court Judges of Georgia. “Chairman Hearn, Commissioners Maxwell and Oddo, Mayor Learnard and Mayor Smith each serve different constituencies within Fayette County, and together they add a significant Fayette County voice to this statewide group.”

The nearly 70 signatories represent communities across metropolitan Atlanta, North Georgia, Middle Georgia, South Georgia and coastal Georgia and include current and former state officials, legislators, mayors, county commissioners, faith leaders and other community leaders.

The letter states that moving probate judicial elections to a nonpartisan basis would bring probate judges in line with Georgia’s other elected judges and further the principle that judges should serve without the label of a political party attached to their names on the ballot.

The proposed constitutional amendment will appear statewide on Georgia’s November 2026 general election ballot.