Georgia voters will decide three proposed amendments to the state Constitution in the November 3 general election, in addition to local questions that will appear on ballots in individual counties.

The three statewide questions deal with conservation-use property, elections for probate court judges and funding for Georgia’s 9-1-1 system.

The first proposed amendment, House Resolution 32, asks voters whether Georgia should increase the maximum amount of property a single owner can qualify for Conservation Use Value Assessment, or CUVA, from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres. The program allows qualifying agricultural and timber property to be assessed based on its conservation use rather than its fair-market value. The General Assembly approved the proposal with a 168-5 vote in the House and 50-1 vote in the Senate. If voters ratify the amendment, related legislation provides for the new acreage limit to take effect January 1, 2027. Georgia General Assembly

That question could be of particular interest in rural counties such as Chattooga County, where agricultural and timberland make up a significant part of the county’s land base. The amendment does not automatically enroll additional property in CUVA; it changes the maximum acreage that can qualify under the program.

The second statewide proposal, House Resolution 251, asks voters whether all Georgia probate court judges should be elected in nonpartisan elections.

Probate courts handle matters including estates and wills, guardianships and conservatorships, along with other responsibilities established under Georgia law. Georgia law already permits nonpartisan probate judge elections in counties where they have been authorized, but the proposed constitutional amendment would establish nonpartisan elections for probate judges statewide.

For voters, that means candidates for probate judge would appear on the nonpartisan portion of the ballot rather than running with a Democratic, Republican or other party designation.

The third proposed amendment, House Resolution 1243, concerns Georgia’s emergency 9-1-1 system. It would authorize the General Assembly to dedicate certain existing revenues to a Georgia Next Generation 9-1-1 Fund, with the money restricted to expansion, maintenance and operation of emergency 9-1-1 systems.

Georgia has been working toward Next Generation 9-1-1, which modernizes the traditional telephone-based emergency communications network and can provide capabilities for transmitting data such as text messages, photographs and video. A legislative study committee previously recommended establishing a dedicated statewide fund and restricting the money to 9-1-1 purposes. Georgia General Assembly

These three questions are statewide, meaning voters in Chattooga County will see them along with voters throughout Georgia.

However, they will not be the only questions facing local voters on November 3. The Chattooga County ballot also contains local measures, making it important for voters to distinguish between the three statewide constitutional amendments and questions applying specifically to Chattooga County or individual municipalities.

Georgia voters can review their individual sample ballot through the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page, which shows constitutional amendments, local referenda and other contests applicable to the voter. Georgia Secretary of State

WZQZ News and ChattoogaInfo will take a closer look at the local Chattooga County ballot questions separately ahead of the November election.