For HR professionals, elections can affect much more than who holds public office. State leaders can influence unemployment insurance, workforce development, employee protections, education and training programs, health care policy, state employment practices, and the laws employers are expected to follow.

In Part 1 of our Election Season at Work series, we covered voting leave rights and election resources. In Part 2, we explored political speech in the workplace. Now, as Georgia voters prepare for the November 3 election, we're wrapping up the series by looking at the offices on the ballot, what each one does, and how election results could influence workplace policies and the HR profession.

 

Georgia Commissioner of Labor

For HR professionals, the Commissioner of Labor may be the statewide office most directly connected to workforce administration.

The Commissioner leads the Georgia Department of Labor, which administers unemployment insurance, provides employment and reemployment services, produces labor-market information, and works with employers and workforce-development partners throughout the state.

 

The 2026 candidates are:

Bárbara Rivera Holmes, Republican
Visit the Bárbara Rivera Holmes campaign website

Nikki Porcher, Democrat
Visit the Nikki Porcher campaign website

 

For employers and HR professionals, areas influenced by the Department of Labor can include unemployment insurance administration, employer interactions with the agency, workforce development partnerships, reemployment services, and access to labor market data.

It is also important to distinguish administration from legislation. The Labor Commissioner can influence how programs are operated and can advocate for policy changes, but major changes to Georgia employment law generally require action by the General Assembly.

 

Governor

The Governor has a broader influence over workforce policy.

Georgia’s governor leads the executive branch, proposes state budget priorities, appoints agency leaders, and signs or vetoes legislation passed by the General Assembly. Those responsibilities can affect funding and policy involving workforce development, education and training, health care, economic development, and state agencies that interact with employers.

 

The 2026 candidates are:

Rick Jackson, Republican
Visit Rick Jackson's campaign platform

Keisha Lance Bottoms, Democrat
Visit the Keisha Lance Bottoms campaign website

 

For HR professionals, the Governor's influence can be particularly relevant to workforce development investments, technical and higher education, health care policy, economic development initiatives, and employment legislation that reaches the Governor's desk.

Many significant policy changes still require cooperation between the Governor and the General Assembly.

 

Georgia General Assembly

When it comes to changing state employment law, the Georgia General Assembly is especially important.

The House and Senate write and pass state laws. Proposals involving wages, unemployment insurance, leave requirements, worker protections, employment benefits, employer mandates, and other workplace rules generally must move through the legislature before becoming statewide policy.

Every Georgia House and Senate seat is on the ballot based on individual legislative districts, so the candidates will vary depending on where an employer or employee lives.

HR professionals may want to pay attention not only to their own legislators, but also to the leadership and membership of committees that consider labor, industry, appropriations, education, health care, and economic development legislation.

Voters can identify the candidates appearing on their individual ballot through Georgia's My Voter Page.

 

Lieutenant Governor

The Lieutenant Governor can also play an important role in workforce legislation because the officeholder serves as president of the Georgia Senate.

Although the Lieutenant Governor does not independently enact employment law, Senate leadership can influence legislative priorities, committee assignments, and which proposals advance through the chamber.

 

The 2026 candidates are:

Greg Dolezal, Republican
Visit Greg Dolezal's campaign website

Josh McLaurin, Democrat
Visit Josh McLaurin's campaign priorities

 

For HR professionals, the significance of this office is less about direct administration and more about its influence over the legislative process.

 

What about Atlanta-area local elections?

Local elected officials can also affect the workforce environment, although their authority over private employer policies is more limited than that of the state.

City councils, county commissions, mayors, and other local officials can influence areas such as:

• Public sector employment policies
• Workforce development programs
• Transportation and access to employment
• Economic development strategies
• Education and training partnerships
• Local government contracting and procurement

Georgia law limits the ability of local governments to create their own wage, employment benefit, or scheduling requirements for private employers, so many of the employment mandates HR professionals encounter statewide originate at the state or federal level rather than with individual metro Atlanta jurisdictions.

 

What HR professionals may want to watch after Election Day

Regardless of who is elected, workforce policy will continue to develop through legislation, agency decisions, budgets, and rulemaking.

Among the issues HR professionals may want to monitor heading into the 2027 legislative session are:

• Unemployment insurance and employer contributions
• Wage and hour legislation
• Paid leave and employee benefits
• Worker classification and wage enforcement
• Workplace safety and employee protections
• Workforce-development funding
• Child care and other barriers to workforce participation
• Health care and benefits policy
• Education and skills training programs
• State regulation of local employment policies

Understanding which office controls which part of the process can help HR professionals follow these developments more effectively and identify where potential changes may affect their organizations.