Recalls are being threatened against Athens Mayor Kelly Girtz, 10 District Commissioners and Sheriff John Q. Williams over the high-profile murder of a nursing student by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant. Georgia is a Malfeasance Standard/Judicial Recall state, so it is not clear that they have the for cause requirement handled.

In 2019, the county issued a statement on welcoming people from all lands and backgrounds as well as denouncing white nationalists and xenophobes. The lead petitioner is apparently well known after being charged in 2016 after he allegedly "became irate when his wife put too much cheese on his grilled cheese sandwich."