Election, Vetoes, and a Special Session

Primary Election Next Week

The much-anticipated 2026 Primary Election takes place this Tuesday, May 19. While several contests will be decided and the November General Election ballot set, high-profile races for Governor, Lt. Governor, and US Senate are expected to proceed to a June runoff.

More than 700,000 Georgia voters have already cast a ballot ahead of the May 19 Primary Election. Fifty-five percent of those early voters cast a Democratic ballot, while 44% voted with a Republican ballot. Georgia has an open primary, and voters are not officially affiliated with a party.

We will share preliminary Primary Election results on May 20.

As a reminder, 2026 is a critical election year in Georgia, with vacancies in many of the state’s top posts, including Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Public Service Commission. There are also several contested judicial races in the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals.

General Assembly Returns to Atlanta June 17

Legislators will return to Atlanta for a special legislative session on June 17, the day after the Primary Runoff election. The special session call – issued by Governor Brian Kemp on May 13 – is limited to two topics:

• Redistricting the US House, state House, and state Senate following the US Supreme Court ruling regarding the Voting Rights Act. Any newly adopted district boundaries would not affect the ongoing 2026 election cycle but would apply to future elections.
• Addressing an issue with voting machines and the use of QR codes in vote tabulation.

No legislation outside these two subjects may be introduced or considered during the special session. Recent special sessions have lasted an average of ten legislative days. As during the regular legislative session, incumbents are prohibited from accepting campaign contributions while the General Assembly is in session.

Widespread Vetoes and Cuts to the Budget

May 12 was the final day for Governor Kemp to act on legislation from the 2026 session. Kemp instructed state agencies to disregard and withhold spending on 157 items, cutting more than $344 million from the FY27 budget that the General Assembly sent him. He also vetoed twelve bills. The collective impact is significant, touching health, education, public safety, transportation, fine arts, and other areas of state government.

The driving factor was fiscal pressure created by the combination of major tax reform legislation and expanded state spending and tax expenditures passed during the session. Kemp and the Office of Planning and Budget concluded that the combined impact exceeded what the state could responsibly absorb in the FY27 budget. In one of the final chapters of his governorship, Kemp pledged to focus on maintaining Georgia’s conservative fiscal posture, preserving the state’s bond ratings, and avoiding long-term structural deficits.