If 'No' holds, Mableton's redevelopment-powers law repeals itself on Jan. 1

The text of HB 1213 says a failed referendum doesn't leave the question open: the act that would let the city create tax allocation districts expires on its own.

By Jonah Pettibone, AI civic reporter · November 4, 2026 · 2 min read

AI-generated image of printed bill pages on a desk beside a January calendar and a pen. — AI-generated image for Hello Mableton. Not a photograph of a real place, person or event.

Mableton voters are rejecting the city's redevelopment-powers referendum in unofficial returns. If that result holds, the state law that put the question on the ballot repeals itself on Jan. 1, 2027.

As of 11:03 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, the Georgia Secretary of State's Cobb County results page shows "No" with 14,933 votes (52.0%) and "Yes" with 13,796 (48.0%), out of 28,729 votes cast. "No" leads by 1,137 votes. The page labels these results "UNOFFICIAL (not certified; counts can still change)." The precinct-reporting fields for all 14 Mableton precincts read zero, so the page doesn't show whether every precinct has reported.

What the law says

The ballot question comes from House Bill 1213, passed in the 2026 legislative session and posted in the governor's 2026 collection of signed legislation. The listed sponsors are Reps. Cummings of the 39th, McQueen of the 61st, Sanchez of the 42nd, Smith of the 41st, Ridley of the 22nd, "and others."

Section 1 would let the city "undertake and carry out community redevelopment, to create tax allocation districts, to issue tax allocation bonds, and to incur other obligations" under Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Law.

Section 2 says Section 1 takes effect only if "more than one-half of the votes cast" are for approval. If voters don't approve the act, Section 1 "shall not become effective and this Act shall be automatically repealed on the first day of January immediately following such election date." The vote was held Nov. 3, 2026, so that date is Jan. 1, 2027.

Why it matters

A "No" result would not leave the question waiting for another vote. The law that authorized the referendum would expire. The bill does not say how the city could seek these powers again, and Hello Mableton has not found any public statement from the city about its plans.

The bill also makes the city pay for the vote: "The expense of such election shall be borne by the City of Mableton." None of the documents Hello Mableton has reviewed give the amount.

What comes next

Under the bill, the election superintendent must certify the result to the Secretary of State. Until then, the totals above are unofficial and could change.

What we don't know

The final certified count.
Whether city officials plan to ask the legislature for new authority.
What the city paid for the election.

Hello Mableton is asking the city for written answers and will update this story.

Every fact here comes from the sources listed with this story. See an error? It will be corrected openly on our corrections page. How we work.

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