I'm trying to change the rules because

I'm afraid to admit I'm a Republican.

A “blatantly unconstitutional attack on metro Atlanta voters”? Sounds good to me.

Republicans have been losing elections in Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties. Voters in these communities—the most diverse, most populous counties in Georgia—have looked at the Republican Party and said: No thank you.

So I’m doing what any politician afraid of voters does—what I have a long and craven history of doing…
I’m trying to hide.

Here's what I did: I tried to hide.

I pushed House Bill 369, which passed the Georgia legislature on March 27, 2026. If Governor Kemp signs it, candidates running for district attorney, county commissioner, court clerk, tax commissioner, and solicitor general in those five counties will no longer appear on ballots with a party label (starting in 2028).

No (R). No (D). Just a name.

Just the way I'd prefer it.

The bill applies only to the five largest, most Democratic counties in metro Atlanta—not to the rest of Georgia's 159 counties.
It does not remove party labels from sheriffs in those counties. Because apparently I'm fine with voters knowing the party affiliation of some officials, just not the ones where Republicans keep losing.
The bill was originally written to regulate food trucks. It was hollowed out and replaced with this elections language—a maneuver known as a “zombie bill”—after a nearly identical standalone bill failed to pass the state Senate. Sneaky, right?
Every Democratic representative in the affected counties voted against it. Even two Republicans voted no, including one who noted: “If it's good policy, then it should be statewide.” But it is not statewide. Because it’s not good policy.
Sources: VoteSmart.org and The Georgia General Assembly.

"This is a bill that makes perfect sense. If you're playing politics, you'll be against this. If you want to keep Georgians safe, you'll be for it."
— Me, John Albers, State Senate debate, March 2026

But notice what I didn't say: I'm a Republican and I believe Republican candidates can win in these counties on their merits.

Because I don't believe that. And the voters of Fulton, DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, and Gwinnett have proven me right, repeatedly.

What I said about it: Lies.

What everyone else said about it: Oof.

“The reason we're putting this bill forward is because there's a certain side that's losing elections in these counties, so they want to hide behind a nonpartisan badge in order to win them.”
— State Rep. Gabriel Sanchez (D-Smyrna, Cobb County)
“I am appalled that Republicans in the state legislature want to hide information from Georgia voters in local elections because they no longer control offices in the state's largest counties. This bill is a blatant attempt to steal power from democratically elected Black leaders in metro Atlanta.”
— DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston
“This bill is nothing more than a continuation of a political attack … targeting of five African-American women Democrats who were chosen by the voters of their counties to serve as district attorney is racist, sexist and clearly unconstitutional.”
— Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis
The District Attorneys' Association of Georgia — representing prosecutors from both parties — voted unanimously to oppose this legislation.

I've spent my career in the Georgia Senate telling constituents that I believe in democracy, fairness, and the rule of law. But when the voters of metro Atlanta exercised their democratic right—repeatedly, decisively—to elect leaders who don't share my party's values, I didn't ask what Republicans could do better.

I changed the ballot.

That's not public safety. That's fear. My fear.