Proposed legislation allowing nonpartisan elections for countywide offices would remove a necessary tool for voters deciding between candidates they may know little about, a county political leader says.

Joseph Gullett, chairman of the Paulding County Republican Party, said he opposes the bill because voters — who typically are not closely engaged in the political process — need to know a candidate’s philosophy toward public service even if the office’s duties are state-mandated.

“It’s the first filtering process,” he said. “Voters should know where they stand.”

District 137 state Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, recently pre-filed the legislation to allow counties to ask their local legislative delegation to remove party labels from countywide elected offices like probate judge or county commissioner.

At least two Paulding elected officials say the bill, if approved, would not change how they currently do their jobs as Republicans.

Paulding Tax Commissioner Bill Watson said he sees no reason to change how he runs for election.

“I’m happy with my party affiliation,” he said.

Elected offices which set policy should be partisan, Watson said, though he admitted “not all offices set policy.”

Sheriff Gary Gulledge noted his office mostly operates under requirements set in Georgia law, which mandates more than 600 duties and responsibilities, according to the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association.

However, even if the bill passed, Gulledge said it would not affect his political stance on issues.

“I will continue to be Republican,” he said.

Terry Norris, executive director of the Georgia Sheriffs’ Association, said he hopes Peake’s bill will get a fair hearing in the upcoming 2012 session of the Georgia General Assembly.

Tax commissioners, court clerks, probate judges and sheriffs operate based on the law, not political affiliation, Norris said.

It also would lessen the cost of elections by requiring only one election rather than two if both parties field candidates, he added.