2026 State Bar of Georgia Election

The following information is intended to assist members of the State Bar of Georgia in voting for contested races. Members may vote online or by printed ballot, depending on the preference indicated on the Personal Preferences Page in the Member Portal. (Please note: Only active and emeritus members are eligible to vote in the State Bar Election.) Voting opens Monday, March 16, and the deadline for casting a ballot is April 17 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Results will be available by May 1.

In order to vote online, you must log in to the member portal with your regular username and password, and click the election banner. If you need assistance logging in to the member portal, please contact the Membership Department at membership@gabar.org or 404-527-8777. For any other voting-related issues (did not receive your ballot, difficulty with your ballot, incorrect ballot, etc.), contact Survey & Ballot Systems at support@directvote.net or call 1-866-909-3549.

Sample Ballots

To assist you in voting for the candidate of your choice, we have provided sample ballots for the statewide positions and circuits with contested races. We hope this is useful and encourage you to vote.

YLD Secretary
Atlanta Circuit
Cobb Circuit
Griffin Circuit
Gwinnett Circuit
Lookout Mountain Circuit
Rome Circuit

Contested Races

Candidate information for contested races appear as hyperlinks for the candidates. Simply click on the candidate’s name to learn more.

YLD Secretary

Colin A. Adebayo, Atlanta
Chelsea M. Freeman Dease, Union City
Kelsie J. Mattox, Milton

Atlanta Circuit, Post 14

Jamie Christy, Atlanta
Adam M. Hames, Atlanta
Halsey G. Knapp Jr., Atlanta
Emily C. Ward, Atlanta

Cobb Circuit, Post 5

Alan Jeffrey Levine, Marietta
Audrey A. Lewis, Marietta
Kerry Ashley Nicholson, Atlanta
Gregory O’Neil Shenton, Marietta
Megan Pownall Wyss, Atlanta

Cobb Circuit, Post 7

Sonja N. Brown, Marietta
Andy “Joel” Williams, Kennesaw

Griffin Circuit, Post 1

Virginia Shapard Church, Griffin
Kelli Byers Hooper, Fayetteville
Kevin R. Hurt, Zebulon
Jason B. Thompson, Fayetteville

Gwinnett Circuit, Post 2

Judy C. King, Lawrenceville
Yari D. Lawson, Lawrenceville

Lookout Mountain Circuit, Post 1

C. Sutton Connelly, Summerville
John Michael “Mike” Giglio, Ringgold

Rome Circuit, Post 2

Lee B. Carter, Rome
William Robert Richardson, Rome

General Information

View a list of members of the Board of Governors whose term expires in June 2026.
2026 Election Candidate Information

View the current members of the Board of Governors.
Current Board of Governors

View the 2025-26 State Bar of Georgia Officers.
2025-26 State Bar Officers