Georgia County Map: All 159 Counties

Unique in modern American jurisprudence, Georgia statutory law permits the "Sole Commissioner" form of county government. In counties like Union, Towns, Bleckley, and Pulaski, there is no multi-member board or council. A single elected Sole County Commissioner adopts the budget, sets property tax mileage rates, signs contracts, and directs all county personnel.

Historically created during the late 19th and early 20th centuries to eliminate political infighting and reduce bureaucratic costs in small agrarian populations, over 40 Georgia counties once used this model. While most modernized to multi-member boards, voters in eight counties have consistently rejected proposals to expand the commission, praising the singular accountability of one executive.

From 1917 until struck down by the US Supreme Court in Gray v. Sanders (1963), Georgia conducted statewide Democratic primaries under the County-Unit System. Similar to the federal Electoral College, each county received between two and six unit votes regardless of population, allowing rural agrarian counties to completely dominate state politics over urban Fulton County (Atlanta).

Today, the Atlanta metropolitan area spans over 20 separate counties (Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, DeKalb, Clayton, Cherokee, Forsyth, Henry, etc.), requiring multi-jurisdictional bodies like the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) to coordinate regional transit and water planning.